RE:START
by Gossu
Summary: Saving. Restarting. Two concepts in realms far beyond the reaches of reality, but what if it did happen? Especially to a certain loner who swore to never dwell on the past?
1. Chapter 1

**Minor note:** **I think it's a tradition of sorts for me to write a story in between chapters of other stories. And to those waiting for updates on An Unlikely Request, I'll put it out...some times later. I'm not too good with deadlines. With that said, enjoy the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Service Club is strange.**

My eyes fluttered for a few seconds before opening fully to the sight of blinding white light.

I surveyed the area for a while. Bland white walls. Bland white ceilings. Everything was just bland. It was a generic office room.

I also heard people bustling and hustling about their daily works. Turning my head a bit, I spotted a couple of adults conversing with a bunch of teenagers, wearing clothes that I could only assume to be their uniforms. Those adults talking to them also seemed familiar…

"Oi, Hikigaya. Don't you dare get distracted!"

A rough voice called out to me as the source of that same voice smacked me with something soft. I rubbed the affected spot before turning back, my face scrunched up in annoyance.

I came face to face with a demon unlike any others.

"And stop gawking."

She bobbed my head once more with the papers she was holding. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. This woman…

Rubbing my bleary eyes slowly, I was soon able to focus on the strange woman in front of me. Her face seemed familiar…That pissed off expression coupled with the 'What-am-I-going-to-do-with-you?' face. It was easy to identify that expression since I did it often with my sister.

"Anyway…" She leaned back into the couch, crossing her legs, "Tell me what were you thinking when you wrote this?"

"Wrote what?"

"The essay!" She shouted quite loudly, garnering quite a bit of stares and glares from the others. Now that I had the time to think about it, this place must be a teacher room. I didn't really feel that sure but it was a feeling that I got.

Plus, the strange woman mentioned something about essay.

But as I said, I didn't feel that sure about anything right now. For some reasons, my head was spinning and I couldn't even focus on a single thought.

So, in the risk of provoking an already pissed off beast; I asked.

"…What essay?"

But instead of a violent outburst like I expected, she merely pinched the bridge of her noise, sighing as she did so. With an exhausted shake of her head, she placed some of the papers on the table while taking a singular page and handing it to me.

Written in a hasty yet careful manner on top of the page was

'Looking Back On High School Life'

Oh right, I did write something similar to this but why was she bringing this essay up now? Didn't she lecture me on it already?

"This isn't a joke, Hikigaya. This essay is an assignment. An **assignment**."

I didn't particularly like how she stressed the word assignment like it was a threat. What is she, a terrorist? Oh wait, if I recalled correctly, she's just an overripe, overbearing woman who happened to not be married.

In other words, Hiratsuka-sensei.

No wonder she seemed so familiar.

But why was I here again? My memories may be fuzzy but I was certain that the faculty office wasn't my place of being.

"But then again, I haven't really took the time to understand your rather peculiar mind so it could be a fault on my end," She gave a satisfied nod to herself. Was she that shallow that she was feeling pleased at giving a cheesy one liner?

Sensei, please…

"You know, I used to have a mindset similar to yours back when I was your age." She said wistfully, her mind probably reminiscing about said times.

 _Heh, I'm surprised you remember it since it must be such a long time ago._

"I'm surprised you remember it since it must be such a long time ago." I said without missing a beat. It was only after a thick air of silence filled the room that I was able to comprehend what I did.

Crap…I said it out loud…

"Under normal circumstances, I would put you in an armbar but I'm generous today so don't push it."

I gulped quietly. The air of tension wasn't disappearing and I straightened my posture in a similar manner to a kid who has been caught slouching.

"I don't mean to pry but…" Hiratsuka-sensei said in a soft voice, almost afraid to speak up, "Is your current…'condition' influenced by that accident?"

Oh, _that_ accident. Been a while since I've thought about it. But how did Hiratsuka-sensei know about it? Did I tell her? Sure, she's a teacher and all but…

"Nah, not really. I would've been the same without that accident anyway."

"Hah, is that so…" This time, she was the one who slouch. Immediately after, she rubbed her head sheepishly before continuing to talk, "You know…the one you've saved was quite insistent on repaying you."

I raised an eyebrow, "I don't think a dog can repay me in any possible way."

"You're calling one of my students a dog?"

"…I thought we were talking about that accident," I gave a confused stare, "Are we even on the same page?"

"I am. Not sure if you are though." She crossed her arms coolly as she said it with a smug expression adorning her face.

"That sentence doesn't even make any sense."

Flustered, she dropped her pose and slammed one of her hands on the coffee table; earning us wayward glances from the other inhabitants of this room. Ugh…

"Anyway! I want you to join this club that I've made with one of the students!"

What? Wasn't she in charge of the Service Club? Why did she create another club then? More importantly, why was she trying to get **me** into a new club?

"But I'm-,"

"No buts. You're coming with me. End of story."

Hiratsuka-sensei gave me a glare that only an unmarried woman could give.

"Yes. Ma'am."

I'd better be careful with my words. Don't want her to actually put me in any weird wrestling moves from shows she obviously watched alone.

…

…

Ah, there we go. Thank goodness, I have a filter in my brain.

Hiratsuka-sensei stood up from the couch, hands in her pockets and started moving towards the door. I followed suite. There were no words exchanged between us as we walked towards a very familiar building.

Finally and to the relief of my aching feet, we've reached a room. The hallway we were in was desolate. There was no one except us but it felt right…somehow.

Placing one of her hands on the door, Hiratsuka-sensei looked back at me as if questioning me whether I wanted to go in there or not. Sheesh, you dragged me all the way here and now, you're trying to gain my affirmation?

Letting out a big sigh, I nodded wearily. She nodded in return in a similar fashion to a soldier confirming the command of her fellow soldier. With a squeak, the door slid open.

And what greeted my sight wasn't right.

It wasn't right at all.

Even if I didn't remember all the details, I was sure that this room…this place wasn't supposed to look like this but there was one thing that seemed to be a constant though.

A lone figure sitting on an equally lonely chair by an open window, staring out into the horizon.

But that wasn't right. Even that constant wasn't a constant.

"A-Ah, Hiratsuka-sensei. You startled me." The figure said, alarmed by sensei's sudden arrival.

"My bad, my bad," Hiratsuka-sensei had an apologetic look on her face, "But anyway, as promised, a brand new member!"

She shoved me roughly in front of that same figure, taking me off my balance for a few measly seconds. After giving her a stern glare, which had no visible effect, I turned towards the aforementioned mysterious figure sitting by the window.

The figure stood up before walking gingerly towards me.

Waist-length black hair. Perfect uniform with no signs of any folds on them. Soft blue eyes behind a pair of glasses.

"Umm, hello...You must be Hikigaya Hachiman-san, right?"

What the hell? Why was she acting like that? Why did she look like that? Why was she speaking like that?

Is that even Yukinoshita?

The Yukinoshita that I knew never had to wear glasses unless she had to work with computers. She most definitely never referred to me with 'san'. She never, ever exudes an aura of bashfulness, innocence or cuteness for that matter.

I nodded warily and even though I wanted to say something, my words got caught up in my throat. Yukinoshita simply smiled bashfully at my action.

Why was she doing that? Yukinoshita almost never smiles. Not without a proper reason anyway.

"Hikigaya, stop gawking."

A painful feeling made itself known to my head. I turned around and Hiratsuka-sensei was standing there, sighing with her hand in the shape of a karate chop.

I grumbled quietly at her actions before turning back to Yukinoshita. To my surprise, yet again; she was averting her gaze and rubbed one of her arms sheepishly. Yeah, this was definitely not the Yukinoshita I knew.

"Umm, Hiratsuka-sensei told me that you'll be joining…" She glanced at me as she said those words, "The S-Service club…"

"Hah?"

How can I join something which I am already a part of?

"I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to be presumptuous."

"No, that's not-I mean-," I pinched the bridge of my nose as I let out a sigh, "I'm already a part of this club…aren't I?"

Yukinoshita's eyes visibly widened and her mouth was agape. A confused gasp was sounded behind me and soon afterwards, Hiratsuka-sensei walked in between the two of us.

"Jeez, Yukinoshita; if you had told me that he'd already joined then I wouldn't have to trouble myself."

"B-But I never saw Hikigaya-san applying for the club…"

 _What the hell is going on?_

I covered up my face with my hand in an effort to clear my mind. When I stopped doing so, two pairs of eyes latched themselves on to me; making me feel awkward and cornered at the same time.

"Well, whatever, right?" Hiratsuka-sensei stated nonchalantly, "As long as he's part of the club, I'm okay with that."

"O-Oh…" Yukinoshita responded meekly.

Meek.

Look at that word.

That's a word that I would never use to describe Yukinoshita.

But here she was, talking in a way that I would never expect her to talk.

"I'll be off then! Ah, and don't forget to help Hikigaya with his problems and whatnot!"

And with that, the kind (heh) teacher that is Hiratsuka-sensei left the scene; leaving two young adults in the sunlight filled room. But as I pondered how cliché this all was, I forgot the other young adult in the room. A young adult that I was very familiar with.

'Was'

"So…shall we get started?" Yukinoshita asked softly.

"On what?"

"On fixing your peculiar behavior," She moved towards her chair at the end of the table before motioning me to sit near the chair with her. This must be a prank of some sorts. A sick prank with no comedic value.

I tried looking around for hidden cameras but I spotted no obvious ones…for now.

With a great deal of caution, I sat down on the aforementioned chair that Yukinoshita wanted me to sit in. I expected a whoopy cushion prank at any moment yet it never came. The chair was perfectly fine. The table didn't appear to have any sort of mechanism on it either…

You can never be too sure.

"So…umm, Hiratsuka-sensei told me that you became like this in your first year, correct?" Yukinoshita asked as she took out a notepad and a pen.

Last time I checked, I didn't sign up for a therapy.

In response, I nodded. Yukinoshita wrote something in her notes before asking me again.

"Umm…uh…"

Except was she obviously fumbling with her words and ill-suited for this position.

"Look, why are you even doing this? It's not like talking about something will change anything." I tried my best to salvage the situation.

"But it's better than doing nothing…right?"

"If you say so."

Yukinoshita looked a bit distraught after hearing my comment, like a child who thinks she had broken a valuable vase, but she soon composed herself if her straightened posture was any indicator.

"Then, do you have a clue as to what changed your behavior?"

Plenty of things actually. Failed confessions, embarrassing past, awkward situations, _that_ accident…

"Not really."

I lied.

After all, talking about the past won't change it. It'll only make your memories sting even more.

"O-Oh…"

"But I think running away from your problems and not changing yourself won't solve it," Yukinoshita continued, her eyes directed at my own, "Someday, it'll only come back to you."

"If you're changing yourself, then you're just giving up to the stupid rules society deemed as normal."

Weird, I felt as if we already had this conversation before. Well, some other variation of it anyway.

"But if you don't try to change, don't you think that's a little cowardice of you?" She asked, straight faced.

"If you're changing yourself, then you're giving up just like a coward anyway. What's your point?"

"I-I didn't mean to insult you in anyway," Standing up, Yukinoshita firmly bowed, "Sorry!"

I found myself at a dead end with interacting with this 'new' Yukinoshita. It wasn't like this was an entirely new behavior for Yukinoshita. In fact, she would do something similar except in a very sarcastic manner and a smug expression to boot.

"But I do mean it when I said that changing yourself would be for the better. If you can't do it alone, then you always have friends to help you, right?"

"You're speaking as if you have experience."

"A-Ah…I just…" Her voice eventually turned into mumbles as she slyly took a book to cover her mouth. Very un-Yukinoshita.

"It's just…it seems very fun to be around friends, don't you think?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It seems?"

"Admittedly…I don't have many friends."

"I see."

At least, one thing was a constant. Both our social aptitudes were horribly low. I know that my state of loneliness is caused by intentionally ignoring any chance at making friends. The Yukinoshita that I knew was lonely because of her rather high standards and unapproachable attitude or something like that.

This Yukinoshita should have no trouble being at the center of the spotlight. Could her loneliness be caused by her shy attitude? I doubt it since Totsuka had no troubles being friendly with others.

Speaking of Totsuka, I hoped he didn't go along with this farce and change into a prodigy soccer player or anything. Tennis is the only sport that I have a bit of confidence in.

A knock stopped my train of thought as both Yukinoshita and I turned towards the door. Yukinoshita had a cheerful disposition for some reason. Was the person behind that door one of her friends?

"C-Come in." Yukinoshita stuttered, either in trepidation or in excitement.

The door slid, squeaking slightly as a presence unlike any others made itself known. I gulped. Yukinoshita probably did so too.

A tuft of pink hair poked its way through the small gap of the sliding door and before long; the whole body came with it.

"Is this…the Service Club or whatever it's called?"

Oh, it was just Yuigahama. I smiled internally. Maybe Yuigahama's klutziness will show itself once more and expose this hidden camera scam/prank once and for all!

But it also wasn't Yuigahama.

Her voice was rude. Her attire was still conflicting with the school's policy sure but it was bolder. Not in the sensual sort of way but in the violent sort of way.

"Yes!" Yukinoshita replied cheerfully as she stood up and made her way towards Yuigahama, "Did Hiratsuka-sensei send you?"

Yuigahama gave a nod before surveying the room. And it was just my luck that her eyes happened to land on my dead fish ones. I tensed up immediately as she narrowed her eyes like a lion spotting its prey.

But she didn't say anything. She simply walked over to a chair near the table that I was near too and took a seat nonchalantly.

Yukinoshita simply laughed awkwardly before waddling over to the both of us, effectively seating herself in her original seat; situated between the both of us.

What was this, an ASEAN summit?

"So, Yuigahama-san, what do you need of the Service Club?" Yukinoshita said in probably her most cheerful voice yet; the kind of voice that would fit better on Yuigahama.

As I contemplate this, I noticed a pattern. This elaborate scheme of theirs had one single constant. A universal constant, if you will. And that constant is that every 'scene' is follows a certain chronological order.

An order that I know all too well.

In other words, my first meeting with these two.

So if I remembered correctly, Yuigahama would start asking about cooking and such which would ultimately lead to Yukinoshita teaching her and ultimately failing.

Heh, foolish tricksters, it's all according to keikaku.

"Well…" Yuigahama started off slowly. I wasn't nervous, not at all. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, appeared calm under those glasses of hers but I could see her fingers impatiently tapping on the wooden table.

She was getting impatient for some reason.

With a deep breath, Yuigahama proclaimed.

"I want a guy to notice me."

Of course, cooking. Such a nonse-

...What?

"What?" I voiced my confusion rather loudly, earning a glare from Yuigahama herself. Pink never seemed so threatening until now.

"You got a problem with my request or somethin'?" Her voice seemed as if I accused her wrongly.

"N-Nothing like that…"

"You think it's funny, don'tcha?"

With her eyes downcast and her bangs covering it, it almost seemed like a 180 switch to her earlier, almost delinquent-like personality.

But when she rose up her head, her face was anything but a non-delinquent. In fact, she seemed like a mafia boss. Her glare tore through me like hot knife through butter and not to mention, the tension in the room was also thickening with neither of us refusing to say a word.

Fortunately, we had Yukinoshita to break up our little confrontation.

Unfortunately, she was horrible at it.

"Come on guys….ahaha…" Yukinoshita tried her best to ease the tension between us but her best just wasn't enough.

With a loud 'Hmph!', Yuigahama turned her face away from my own; staring at the stacks of tables and chairs to the side instead. I quietly let out a sigh of relief. She was an extremely convincing actor but surely, she would have slipped up by now.

If they want to drag this on, then so be it.

I looked over to Yukinoshita who looked like she was trying to think of ways to approach Yuigahama. Her difficulty in doing so was understandable. After all, Yuigahama wasn't acting like Yuigahama now. She was more like…dare I say it, Yumiko. Ruthless, rude and blunt.

"So, Yuigahama-san, about your earlier request…"

Yuigahama gave a sideway glance to Yukinoshita before sighing and faced her.

"Fine, fine. I'll explain…I guess…"

As she finished saying that, she immediately threw a glare at me. It wasn't a long glare but I definitely noticed it. I gulped at her actions and hoped that Yuigahama would notice it so that she would stop acting.

She didn't.

"So, there's this...umm," Yuigahama twirled a single strand of her pink hair, her eyes avoiding both of ours, "…a boy that I'm…"

"Curious about?" Yukinoshita asked genuinely.

"In love with?" I added, earning another glare from Yuigahama.

With a sigh, she stated, "That I'm interested in."

What a peculiar choice of word for her to use. Interested in? Sure, I'll buy into it. For now.

"So you want to get closer to him?" Yukinoshita asked.

"Not necessarily…just…I wanna be his…friend, I think."

"You think?" I raised a question.

"Why, you got a problem with that?!"

Jeez, why did she have to be so aggressive?

"Well, I think it's a good thing to want to be friend with someone."

We both turned to Yukinoshita who immediately recoiled from our looks.

"A-Ah, I mean, it's comforting, don't you think? Having a friend, that is…"

Yuigahama nodded idly while I merely observed Yukinoshita. Why did she have such an earnest expression? Could she really be yearning for friends? Before I could contemplate this even further, a voice took me back to reality.

"I was thinking of cooking something for him…is that okay?"

Hah! I knew it. Everything came full circle. Of course, they would resort to such a scenario. Now all I had to do is to wait until Yuigahama finishes her dish and tell her another way to get someone to notice you.

"Just a bit of side note, you are asking two people with no extensive knowledge in relationships whatsoever." I chirped in, a bit too cheerfully.

"Yeah, so what? I already knew what I came here to do; it's just that I don't know what to cook for him."

Unnecessarily aggressive. Yeah, if I could describe Yuigahama right now with one phrase, that would be it.

"What about cookies?" Yukinoshita clasped her hands thoughtfully. I could figuratively see the enthusiasm in behind her glasses. She was brimming with it, "Or maybe a cake? How about a bento?"

"…Cookie is a good idea but I'd never cooked one before…"

"It's okay, I'm sure the home economics room has plenty of recipes!"

God, Yukinoshita was so cheerful, I felt like I could be blinded by her enthusiasm. So the plan was made, at least, I hoped it was. There were no verbal agreement but those two probably had the same things in mind.

Women…

So, just like last time, I was sidelined to merely observing the two busying themselves with utensils and ingredients lying about on the table. It was like I expected. Yukinoshita introducing the recipes to Yuigahama, both of them working to make the best possible batch.

There was one thing wrong however.

Yuigahama Yui. The airheaded klutz of the Service Club knew how to cook.

And it wasn't just for show. Well, I say that but her way of handling ingredients was really convincing. Even Yukinoshita struggled to keep up.

"Y-Yuigahama-san, the recipes only said to put exactly 250 grams of sugar-,"

"So what?" Yuigahama completely ignored her partner, "It's not like it'll completely change the cookies or anything."

From my end, I could see Yuigahama pouring obscene amounts of sugar into the batter before mixing it together. Yukinoshita attempted to do the same but when her hand grasped the bag of sugar; she found it to be empty, much to her visible disappointment.

"Oi, Hikki. Help Yukinon here, will ya?" Yuigahama commanded without ever taking her eyes of her own work. She was so efficient, it was so scary.

Wait, it wasn't supposed to be like this! Yukinoshita is supposed to be the one bossing other people around, not Yuigahama! And Yukinoshita is supposed to be the calm one, not Yuigahama!

Am I in a parallel world or something?!

…Heh…

I couldn't possibly be. It was impossible. Maybe I was right, it was just a prank. Maybe, I'm dreaming. It was utterly, certainly impossible for me to be in a parallel world. Those stuff only exist in science fiction, right?!

…Right?

"Hikigaya-san?"

"Waah!"

With just a small movement of my eyes, I found Yukinoshita's face situated quite close to my own. I could literally smell her shampoo.

"I-I mean…sorry," I turned away sheepishly. After all, I did just scream right into her face, "Let's just get the sugar, yeah?"

Yukinoshita nodded warily with a worried look on her face. We went to take a bag of sugar from the cabinet. Nothing strange. No, not at all.

Yukinoshita poured her own amount of sugar into her batter after some careful measuring. Very careful measuring. Seriously, it was like she was handling radioactive materials instead of a simple ingredient.

And then, the batter was carefully poured onto two trays; one for Yuigahama and the other for Yukinoshita. They shaped it carefully into the best circle possible and I had to say, I was impressed.

Afterwards, the batter simply went into the oven.

I glanced at the remaining time.

10 minutes.

Seemed long enough.

However, the peace and rhythm of the oven humming was interrupted by a worried voice.

"…What if he doesn't like it?" said a worried Yuigahama. Yukinoshita was by her side, also grasping her chin in assessment of the situation.

"True," She began, "You didn't mention anything about this person's preference."

Yuigahama's face began to contort into one of extreme distraught and she began mumbling some incoherent words though the only one that I caught was 'I'm stupid…' or something along those lines.

 _And thus, my part comes into play._

"You know, it's stupid to worry about anything," I began confidently with a smirk, earning confused stare and a glare from Yukinoshita and Yuigahama respectively.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, your target's a guy, right?"

Yuigahama nodded. My smirk widened and I continued.

"So does it even matter if the cookie's even delicious or not? Normal guys would be happy with just receiving a gift, especially from a girl."

That seemed to caught Yuigahama off guard as for the first time today, she didn't give me a glare. I looked over to Yukinoshita who also seemed to be just as shocked.

A ding knocked us all out of our stupors.

Yukinoshita, in her panic, struggled to find oven mitts while Yuigahama simply took a pair near a table and fitted it on her hands. She gracefully took out two trays baked cookies, which smelled scrumptious by the way and placed both of them on the table, one by one.

Yuigahama took off her protective oven mitts and reached out to touch the cookies…only to recoil back a few seconds later.

Stupid girl. Who would touch freshly baked cookies with their bare hands? Sheesh.

But eventually, the cookies cooled down just enough that Yuigahama was able to hold and eat it without dropping it.

I failed to see my purpose in all of this. What did I even do last time anyway?

A piece of cookie was held up to my face; connected to it was a hand and connected to that hand was a person. A person that didn't seem too pleased that she had to give me a cookie.

I raised an eyebrow and gave her a confused stare.

"D-Don't misunderstand, okay?! I'm only giving you this as a taste test!"

Receiving the cookie, I stared at her for a moment. She wasn't looking at me; rather, she was staring off to the side. I shrugged and plopped the cookie into my mouth.

I grimaced.

"Too sweet…"

"O-Oh…I see…" came Yuigahama's rather anti-climactic reaction. I expected her to yell again, saying things like 'This isn't meant for you!'

"So are you going to give it to him?"

"I'll…think about it."

"I see."

We spent the next few minutes packing the cookies into cute, little plastic bags and Yukinoshita even took the time to wrap them in ribbons though I expected this sort of thing to come from Yuigahama.

As we finished up, we decided that it was time to go to our respective houses. But when we reached the gate, Yuigahama forced something into my chest.

"I just remembered. That guy said that he doesn't like things that are too sweet," Again, she was averting her gaze, "Sorry for wasting your time, Yukinon."

 _Oi, what about my time?!_

"And why, exactly, are you giving it to me?"

"Because I feel bad wasting such a wonderful treat."

 _Oh, how nice of you, Yuigahama. I realllly appreciate it._

With her business finished, Yuigahama took off. Not walking or jogging but full on running towards her destination. I stared on in disbelief. What has gotten into these people? And why was Yuigahama acting like an extremely generic delinquent?

"Hikigaya-san, here you go."

I turned to my side and to my utter shock; Yukinoshita was standing there, a packet of cookies in her hand. Not knowing what to do, I merely followed to flow and accepted her offering.

"And why are you giving me this?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, I thought that I would give one to Yuigahama-san and another to you for…umm, making my day fun," She bowed before continuing, "I'll be on my way then. I think I could still catch up to Yuigahama-san."

And with that, she took off. We didn't wave goodbyes at each other or anything; Yukinoshita simply left without saying a word. I observed her retreating shape as she went on an impossible run to catch up with Yuigahama.

I took a single cookie from Yukinoshita's packet and bit into it.

It was too perfect. It was bland. It was like math; everything calculated and precise.

It was as bad as Yuighama's diabetes inducing cookies.

The sun was setting. I'd better get home soon, but as I walked, I thought to myself.

Why was today so strange? Why were Yukinoshita and Yuigahama acting like that? Why did sensei introduce me to the Service Club once more? On that point, why did she bring up an assignment of mine which we'd already discussed?

It made no sense in any context whatsoever.

I stopped walking to contemplate even further. Truthfully, this whole thing was hurting my head. My earlier thought was that I was in a dream but no dream could ever be this vivid.

If I had a pet with me, I would probably say something along the lines of:

'Kamakura, we aren't in Chiba anymore.'

But I am in Chiba. I am in Japan. I could smell the slightly salty sea air. I could hear the bustling cars, motorbikes and people walking around. The streets were exactly the same as I remembered them.

Chiba didn't change, far from it. It stayed the same through and through. I could still remember the location of Saize or even the train station.

But that begged the question. Why?

Chiba didn't change yet why did everything feel so different? It was as if I was in a whole new world altogether. It was as if I just met Yukinoshita and Yuigahama.

Then something hit me.

That same feeling when you've finally realized you're a third year high school student about to graduate. That feeling when you've realized that you lost your PSP.

That feeling when you've realized you're not where you're supposed to be.

I chuckled and held my head in one hand. To the few passerby, I may seem delusional, insane even but I was sane. Oh, I was definitely sane.

That earlier quote could definitely be applied here, though there was one significant difference.

I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am not in _my_ Chiba anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** **There's a lot of things in this story that I took from other time-travel/dimension hopping story. For example: The title is from ERASED's opening, Re:Re. Yukinoshita wearing glasses draw inspiration from Nagato Yuki in The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi. So really, if you spot any references, it's most likely intentional.**

 **With that said, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: An Older Brother is always concerned.**

I arrived at my home safely.

At least, I hoped it was my home. If there was anything that I learned from the encounter with the 'new' Service Club, it was that anything was subjected to change, even my own housing.

There was no light emitting from the house as I slowly walked up to the door. In fact, the door wasn't even locked. My fear of coming to an abandoned house increased tenfold at that single moment.

However, the moment I got into the house, I managed to spot the baby picture of Komachi hanging proudly on the wall. It was reassuring that something in this world never changed.

But it wasn't reassuring that there wasn't any sign of people living here. Like seriously, I felt like I was stepping into a haunted house.

I turned the lights on and everything was still where I remembered it was. The couch was as springy as ever as I ungraciously plopped down upon it. It was then that I decided to at least think of my current situation.

Based on the Yukinoshita and Yuigahama's peculiar behavior, one could conclude that they were pulling a prank on me, but one could also observe that their façade might not be a façade at all.

Their reactions were genuine. Even I could see that much…and I dreaded that very possibility.

You see, if their reactions were indeed genuine, that meant that I was in…

An alternate universe.

Impossible! Ludicrous! Simply stupid. I should smack my head against the wall for thinking of such an absurd idea, but there was a corner in my mind that whispered that it was indeed possible.

My heart began beating erratically. My breath was short. I was hyperventilating. I tried closing my eyes to calm myself down but the possibility, the chance that I was in an 'alternate' universe was freakishly high.

Not only that but considering that Yukinoshita sincerely sounded like she met me for the first time, I thought up of another stupid idea.

That little talk with Hiratsuka-sensei also reinforced that thought and not to mention Yuigahama…

A sound of creaking wood caught my attention.

I immediately turned my head around and saw only darkness from the stairs. Standing up cautiously, I called out.

"Komachi?"

What I didn't expect was that something soft caught me from behind and latched on to me. My breath got caught in my throat as I slowly turned my head towards the soft thing.

My posture immediately softened the moment I spotted the slightly uncombed black hair of my little sister. I sighed in relief. It was Komachi, after all. Heh, that hug from behind was soooo going to get her tons of points.

And then everything turned upside down.

Parts of my ceiling that I'd never thought to observe came into view, and then, I could see behind me, albeit in an inverted way. As I finally got the split second to actually take in what was going on, it was too little too late.

I could hear a crack as I landed on the couch. Well, by crack, I meant a soft 'plop'. I sincerely hoped that nothing was broken even though I landed on a very soft padding.

Steeling my nerves, I tried with all my might to reposition my legs and my body. Finally, with much effort, I was upright once more though I was breathing very erratically.

Then something to the left caught my eyes.

Standing in all her glory was my sister, Hikigaya Komachi. She was just as I remembered her. Short hair, charming eyes and of course, her relatively short height.

But even though I was quite happy to see her…I wasn't.

"What the hell was that?!" I shouted at Komachi uncharacteristically, prompting not a guilty look from her but a confused one. Under normal circumstances, I would stop and appreciate her pulling off such an innocent look.

This wasn't a normal circumstance.

Raising one eyebrow, Komachi replied, "A German suplex, obviously."

"I know that!" _Actually, I don't,_ "But why did you do that to me?!"

"Eeeeeh? But you always allowed me to do moves to you."

The corners of my eyes suddenly twitched.

"M-Moves?"

"Yeah, ya know, like wrestling moves and stuff. We do that all the time."

With that innocent look on her face as she said that, I couldn't help but be inclined to believe in her. Still, if this keeps up, I won't survive.

"Komachi." I called out to her in my sternest, big brother voice.

Grasping my both of my knees firmly, I reprimanded her as much as I could without feeling guilty about it.

"You see, dear sister, a normal person wouldn't attempt any wrestling moves on his or her relatives therefore I think that it is in your best interest to not use any more of those dangerous moves on me."

"Your point is?" Komachi responded in a way that I, quite frankly, wasn't expecting. Now, I always expect a clever quip from her every time she opens her mouth but to straight up ask me this?

Ludicrous.

"I'm saying you shouldn't suplex me anymore." I said with finality.

In return, she got grasped her chin as if thinking deeply about the situation. Trust me, dear sister, there isn't that much to think of when the matter involved your brother's wellbeing.

"Then, how about a running knee strike?"

"Wha…" I could barely respond to her nonsensical proposal. I knew what kind of knee strike she was talking about. After all, I watch a fair bit of pro wrestling myself.

And I don't think I can survive a knee like that to the head under any circumstances.

"You know…" Komachi began, scratching her cheek sheepishly, "I kinda need to practice for my martial arts stuff…"

"Since when did official martial arts tournament allow you to knee your opponent's head off?!"

"Booooooo!"

My eyes twitched at her immaturity but then again, it is a part of her charms.

"Then what about a forearm strike?" She suggested nonchalantly, smiling even, as she pointed towards the aforementioned body part.

"No forearm either."

"…Well, what can I use?"

If it wasn't for the fact that she asked in such an innocent way, I would've mauled her or called the cops on her for assaulting me right now; but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit pissed off at her.

"Why don't you just do normal girl stuff? Like…shopping…"

"Onii-chan, don't think just because I'm a girl, I'll do that sort of stuff. Shopping's, like, totally boring anyways."

It was then that I concluded-No, I reached an epiphany. An undeniable truth that cannot be refuted no matter how much I try to. Despite it not being logical, the facts, the evidences were there.

You see, Komachi can be seen as tomboy by some, given the length of her hair, her friendliness-all that wonderful stuff. But one thing she does like, or even love, to do is socializing.

And a huge part of socializing for females is shopping. Source: Me.

So, if Komachi, who is a bona fide girl, didn't want to go shopping then there was something terribly wrong. And not to mention that she'd rather roughhouse with me then there was something catastrophically wrong.

It also confirmed the fact that I'd been dreading.

I think I repeated this to myself several times today but at last, this will be the final time I do so.

Why?

Because of Komachi's out of place behavior, I could say with utter certainty that I was stuck in an alternate universe.

…

…

…

"Onii-chan, onii-chan, you're good?"

The rapid motion of waving hands knocked me out of my little musing, causing me to stare too hard at Komachi, as evident by her distraught face.

I opened my mouth but words couldn't come out. Taking a deep breath and covering my face with one of my hands, I stood up and trudged towards the stair, intent on heading into my room.

Finally, I was able to get a couple of words out.

"Komachi, I'm not feeling too well," I said in between dragging my feet to the stairs, "You had dinner yet?"

"Yeah…you want me to bring yours up to your room or something?"

"Nah, I'm good," I was about to continued walking but the absence of the other two members of my family forced me to ask, "What about mom and dad?"

The response from Komachi was…harsh, to say the least.

"Hell, as if I know, those two will probably come at midnight or something."

"Ah…"

Without saying so much as a goodnight, Komachi headed towards the couch, plopped herself down on it and began watching some random channels.

I didn't think too much of it as I began walking to my room.

Fortunately, nothing had changed. My clothes and books were still where they were before. I didn't even take a shower as I changed into my nightwear and slept right there and then.

The stress and the shock must've gotten to me as I slept soundly that night. There were no random awakenings during the night nor was there any need for bathroom breaks.

That night, I slept soundly alright but my mind, on the other hand, was in a state of complete and absolute turmoil.

* * *

I woke up, cold sweats covering my forehead. It must've been a horrible dream. It must be…yet it felt so real. Every interaction, be it with Yukinoshita or Yuigahama or even Komachi, they felt so…genuine and tangible.

After hastily taking a shower and changing my clothes, I rushed downstairs and ultimately into the dining room.

I only saw a meal of miso soup, fish and rice and a note. On closer inspection, it was a note from Komachi basically saying that she had to hurry to school and whatnot.

Komachi never went to school before I did and now that I thought about it, she never went home before me either.

Yesterday wasn't a dream.

I could only clasp the straps of my bag as I hurried towards Sobu high school.

The various passerby were familiar but I knew that they weren't the same. Hell, for all I know, MAX coffee could be bitter now.

But my course of action for now was to get to class.

I waddled in, probably looking more lethargic than usual. Yuigahama was in my class and so was Miura, in fact, everyone in my class were the same.

Tobe, Yama-something and that other guy were also there.

Oh and of course, Hayama.

We didn't make eye contact, at least I didn't, but I was certain that the 'clique' was staring at me. I didn't mind it though as I was used to it.

I half expected Yuigahama to come up to me and talk about something but I had to keep in mind that right now, we were strangers, at best, acquaintances.

That didn't bother me though. It wasn't like Yuigahama and I had a particularly close relationship either.

Before long, Hiratsuka-sensei came in and began homeroom and afterwards, lessons began. I didn't really listen that much to her as I formulated something akin to a plan.

Well, it was on a whim anyways so you couldn't really call it a plan.

I had to wait till Hiratsuka-sensei's class though so at least, I had some time to think to myself on how I should approach this.

Her lesson ended without any of its content being stored in my brain. That was fine though; I had other things to worry about.

Before Hiratsuka-sensei could pack up her things, I confronted her. It took a few seconds before she noticed me but when she did, she was confused, I guess?

"Sensei, can we talk?"

Suddenly, confusion turned into delight.

"Hikigaya!" She said, relieved for some reason, "I see the Service club has done wonders. It's been, like what, one day?"

"No, that's not it. I just…need to discuss something with you."

"All right, all right," Waving me off, she continued packing her stuff, "It's good that you're opening up."

I watched her as she organized the last of her things. Hiratsuka-sensei then led the way, her finger gesturing me to follow her.

The lunch time was more than enough to discuss whatever I was going to discuss. Unless, we diverged from our topics, which was common when the two of us converse.

The teacher's lounge was quiet, to my surprise but on the other hand, it was a wonderful surprise for me. After all, I didn't want anyone to hear what I was going say.

We sat on opposite sides of the couch as usual. Hiratsuka-sensei immediately assumed a lax pose, as evident by her slouching.

I began talking.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, what if I told you…"

It got her attention.

"That I shouldn't be here?"

"Huh?"

Of course, that was the expected reaction. I mean, I've been in this school for one year already and if I suddenly tell someone that I shouldn't be here then of course their reaction is going to be that of a confused one.

"Hikigaya, I know things have been tough on you but if you need a shoulder to lean on, I'm here."

Huh?

"Sure, it's tough to fit in but don't give up just because it's tough. Hell, I'm sure you can even depend on Yukinoshita or your other friends!" She finished cheerfully.

"No, that's not-," I stopped myself. It was bad enough that she misunderstood what I said but it would be worse if I tried to correct her, leading to more misunderstandings and wasting the already limited time that we had.

And thus, I posed another question.

"Sensei, what do you think of alternate universes?"

She had this contemplative look on her face before answering.

"Hmm, multiverse theory says that there are a lot of universes and that anything can happen so there's that. Ah-don't quote me on that, I learned it from an anime."

"I figured but…" I gulped. This was my last chance to get it through her head, "What if I say that this isn't my world?"

Silence filled the air almost immediately as Hiratsuka-sensei sat there, staring at me with a dumbfounded face. I silently hoped that she might be of any use but…

"Alright, joke's on me now where's the hidden cameras?" She held up her arms as if she was being arrested or something.

I gave her a distinct look in response.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I was just kidding."

 _Good! She's getting it!_

"Though I'm not sure if I gave you an assignment on that particular subject though…Ah! Are you writing a story?"

 _It's no good…_

"Y-Yeah…it's for Zaimokuza…"

"Really now? Never thought you would participate in something that you would normally deem 'work'."

"…I owe him one, that's all…"

"Well, that's fine and all but," She stood up and walked past me, "I'm a bit busy right now with some paperwork; if you want any tips, just come to me."

"I'll keep that in mind…"

With that, she left. Ah, I figured as much. Of course, no one would take a person seriously if he said he was from another world.

I could only grit my teeth as I walked back to class. My brain was in constant turmoil now, I couldn't think straight and worse of all, and it wasn't getting any better.

There wasn't going to be any glass wearing alien who would take me back to my world through some magic. **[1]** There was no way back at all.

The class was mostly empty, with some exceptions being Yuigahama and her merry gang. Well, scratch that, her gang had left too.

It was lunchtime and it was normal for them to go get lunch, and normally, I would go to get some bread from the cafeteria too but...my appetite was nowhere to be found.

Sitting at my desk, I did my best to calm myself down though I wasn't doing that great of a job since I was holding my head in my hands, squeezing it every so often.

I swear; if I continued, I would've ripped my hair out.

"Hikki, you're alright?"

I lifted up my face and saw white. Oh, and a couple of buttons. Then I found out that I was face to face-rather, face to chest with Yuigahama.

In my haste, I reacted sporadically, dragging my chair along with me as I scooted backwards.

"W-Woah, I wasn't going to hurt ya, jeez," Yuigahama reprimanded me, putting one of her hands on her hip, accentuating her figure in the process.

Where was her blazer?! Wasn't it supposed to be spring?! Why doesn't the school enforce it dress code more strictly?!

"Y-Yo…"

"Yeah, yo," She said nonchalantly before bringing out something from behind her back, "Here."

It was a standard lunch box.

I gave her an inquisitive stare. She didn't meet my gaze.

"You kinda, sorta looked miserable and I happened to cook too much today so here!"

She literally pushed the lunch into my hands, almost pushing me off the chair itself. What kind of strength does this woman have?

Even so, I stared quizzically at the box currently situated in my hands. Yuigahama noticed this and began asking.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's just that I lost my appetite."

It wasn't a lie. Yesterday and today's events all contributed to the fact that I had an upset stomach. Sure, I would love to eat something but I felt that eating anything would only further my mind's descent into chaos.

Except that would be the case, had it not been for the fist that hung mere inches in front of my face.

"Eat." Yuigahama gave a simple order.

"Yes, ma'am."

I started to open said lunch box but a hand stopped me.

That hand belongs to the same person that threatened me just seconds ago. I find laughable but I didn't, lest I want another fist in my face.

"Wait, Yukinon's been wantin' to discuss something so I think it's better if we eat in the clubroom."

She waited for my affirmation, as if I had any choice the moment she opened her mouth. I reluctantly got up from my seat and followed her. We got quite a few stares from the students hanging out in the hallway though none lasted long enough due to Yuigahama's rather dangerous aura.

We got to the clubroom, opened the door and lo and behold, there sat our club president in all her smug glory.

Except she wasn't smug. Rather, she was meek.

Also, what was with the trend of everyone not wearing their blazers? I thought Yukinoshita was supposed to be this regulation abiding student.

"Good afternoon, Yuigahama-san!" Yukinoshita greeted a she stood up in an instant, almost knocking over her own lunch.

"Ah, and good afternoon to you, Hikigaya-san."

And a bow to complete her already polite way of addressing people. It was a perfect bow too, might I add.

Yuigahama and I both went towards our respective chairs which had been arranged in advance by Yukinoshita. Honestly, this Yukinoshita was too nice. She had even prepared tea and biscuits for us though I was sure they were getting cold by now.

As I placed Yuigahama's lunch box on the table and opened the lid, I could hear Yukinoshita exclaim.

"Waah, did you make that yourself, Hikigaya-san? It looks amazing!"

Taken aback, I answered, "No…it's from Yuigahama."

"Yuigahama-san?" She turned towards the woman in question.

"A-Ah! I just made too much, y'know and my mom always taught me to not waste food and stuff so…"

"I think it's wonderful that you thought of Hikigaya-san, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita assured Yuigahama with a sweet smile.

No, I didn't say that ironically. It was sweet like MAX coffee. It was sweet like Komachi's sisterly love.

In fact, it was so sweet that it could probably cause diabetes. Just saying.

Yuigahama and I both started eating our respective lunch as Yukinoshita observed us. Observing as in sneakily taking a peek every now and then as she ate her lunch.

She probably thought she was being sneaky and all but the moment Yukinoshita noticed my peculiar stare, she frantically tried to act as if she wasn't stealing glances at us.

I'm sure Yuigahama noticed it too but Yukinoshita's lunch box was filled with rice and other ingredients formed into the shape of Pan-san. Character bento? How childish.

Quickly averting my gaze to avoid any awkward scenarios, I focused my attention on the lunch in front of me instead. We all ate quietly but even so, I felt a pair of eyes lingering on me.

No, it wasn't Yukinoshita. It was the airhead-turned-delinquent, Yuigahama.

"H-Hikki!"

"Hn?"

I looked over to Yuigahama. She was fidgeting slightly in her seat, curling bangs of her hair every few seconds or so.

"How is it? The lunch, I mean…"

Ah, so that was why she was looking at me weirdly.

"Hmm," I swallowed a piece of celery before replying, "It's pretty good."

Yuigahama sighed, "Thank goodness…"

"Thank goodness for what?" I asked.

"N-Nothing!" Since she was close to me, she decided to hit me in what I assumed to be a playful manner. However, it felt like multiple bullets piercing through my skin.

A giggle could be heard throughout the room. Yuigahama and I turned towards the source. It was Yukinoshita, who was daintily covering her mouth and laughing like a princess.

Well…considering her status, I might as well call her one.

Noticing us, she tried her best to conceal her laughter.

"Ah…it's just kind of fun to see you two like this."

I looked at Yuigahama quizzically who, in turn, looked at me in the same way; all while Yukinoshita looked at us in confusion, with her head slightly tilted in a way that would make Komachi jealous.

"What's wrong?"

Yuigahama looked at me knowingly before responding, "Nothin' really, it's just that you're acting like a princess and all."

"Don't say that! I-I'm a normal girl!" Yukinoshita denied fervently, all while a crimson hue crept her face.

Never would I think that I would see the day where Yukinoshita was the one being teased, by Yuigahama of all people. I let out a small chuckle at the thought.

Recovering from her embarrassment, Yukinoshita coughed and with her most confident tone, she said.

"I called you here to give an announcement so," She took a deep breath as Yuigahama and I watched on, "Here I go."

I felt the urge to clap in a sarcastic manner but poor Yukinoshita probably couldn't handle it after being teased by Yuigahama.

"As you know, summer break is almost here."

What? Summer break? But…

"Ah, summer, huh? It came so fast this year."

Yuigahama stretched her arms high above her head in relief and Yukinoshita, too, smiled in relief but the only outlier was me. I wasn't smiling, I wasn't relieved. Far from it.

With a gulp, I asked. "Yukinoshita, could you…repeat that?"

The girl in question looked at me, confused. "Umm…"

"You know, what you said about summer break."

"Ah! It's almost summer break and Hiratsuka-sensei-,"

"But it's the middle of spring…" I looked desperately at both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita, "…Right?"

They both looked at each other worriedly.

"Hikigaya-san, starting from next Monday, summer break begins," Yukinoshita softly stated.

"Don't tell me ya hit your head or something. There's no way someone like you wouldn't want summer to come as soon as possible," Yuigahama chipped in.

"Ah…"

I clutched my head with one hand as I rested the other on the table. Yukinoshita didn't notice this as she started to talk. I wasn't able to decipher a single word though as everything that came out of mouth was like white noise to me.

Not only was I in an 'alternate dimension' (As farfetched as it may be), I wasn't in the right timeline. Why is everything going against me?

 _I don't even know how to get back and now, my sense of time is twisted?!_

This was bad. This was bad. This was bad.

I started to breath at an uneven pace. Every breath that came out of me was short and erratic. I could feel a lump stuck in my throat. My head hurt and my arms were shaking ever so slightly.

"Hikki."

Why? Why? Why?!

"Hikki."

My vision was getting blurry as time went on. I need to rest.

"Hikki!"

I took a sharp breath as the voice registered in my mind. Still breathing erratically, I turned and came face to face with a concerned Yuigahama.

"You're alright? You kinda spaced out a bit there," She waved her hand in front of me as if testing if I was still in a daze.

I slapped her hand away lightly, to which she took surprisingly well.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of the heat getting to me and all."

It was going to be summer soon. No wonder both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita ditched their usual blazers.

Haha, one second, I was freaking out about it being summer and the next, I accepted it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. (Though I could still feel the shortness in my breath)

Calm down, Hachiman. Panicking will only lead to more panicking.

But wait, since we were in summer, that meant that we-I mean, I, missed a lot of things that the Service club would've otherwise experienced.

Things such as solving Hayama's dilemma about his friends, reading Zaimokuza's piss poor attempt at a story, the chance encounter with Totsuka…

Dammit.

But then again, I get to **not** meet with Yukinoshita Haruno which was a plus.

And if my memory served me correctly, then…

"Yuigahama," I said without looking at her, opting to stare at the ground instead, "Your birthday had already passed, right?"

As I said that, I began to get a familiar feeling.

You know, that feeling you get when you put various chemicals into one test tube and see the color change right in front of your very eyes.

Because, after I finished my statement, Yuigahama's face turned into one of confusion and soon afterwards, red began creeping up her face and finally, her eyes became wide and embarrassed.

It was a riveting experience, to say the least.

"W-W-What the hell are you saying?!" She started to hit me, her fists curled up, "And how the hell did ya know my birthday anyway?! What are you, a stalker?!"

I did my best to defend myself with my hands but even they were being , what does she eat?

"I just saw your classmates getting you-," I paused to stop a punch that would otherwise destroy my face, "Getting you a gift one day, that's all!"

Despite her still red in the face, Yuigahama eventually stopped her onslaught and started to mumble to herself.

Noticing my chance, I took a deep breath and asked.

"So, what were you discussing?"

Yuigahama gave me an incredulous look while Yukinoshita laughed awkwardly.

"Aha….well, since summer break is upon us, Hiratsuka-sensei thought that it would be a good idea for us to oversee an elementary school during their summer camp."

Wait…you mean _that_ summer camp? That one that we went on before?

"If you're worried, we won't be alone. There will be some students coming along with us like…umm, Hayama-kun and some other students from class 2-F."

Oddly specific on Hayama's name there. But I let it slide. A shy girl like her probably couldn't remember all of her classmates' names.

Then again, Yukinoshita Yukino is supposed to be this genius student so a couple of names shouldn't have bothered her, right?

Ah, whatever.

"So…umm, if it's not too much trouble, can you join?" Yukinoshita asked shyly, pressing her index fingers together.

Gah, why did she have to do that pose?

"I'm in," Yuigahama replied, "I don't really have, like, anything to do in summer anyway."

"That's wonderful! What about you Hikigaya-kun?"

"I'll take a rain check."

"Eh?"

Seeing her confused face, I began explaining, "I mean I can't go."

Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her noise shakily, Yukinoshita tried to reason with me.

"I-I know what you meant but why?"

"Yeah, Hikki. It's summer and someone like you obviously won't have anything planned."

Damn you, Yuigahama and your smug face. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance at her rudeness though she was oblivious to my glare.

"I have cram school."

It was a little white lie, nothing too major.

"Bullshit." Was Yuigahama's harsh rebuttal.

"Yuigahama-san! You shouldn't say that!" Yukinoshita, on the other hand, tried in vain to not let the now resident delinquent of the Service club use swear words.

It was kind of endearing to see her arms flailing around slightly.

"Ah, my bad," Yuigahama simply waved off Yukinoshita before turning to me, "But my point still stands. You're the person I least expect to put in any extra effort in his study."

"Well, even if that's the case, then I'll be leaving the house in my sister's care for a couple of days," I looked both of them straight in the eyes to further emphasize my point, "And trust me, she doesn't like that."

"What about your parents?" Yukinoshita asked.

"They…come home late most of the time and frankly, it's very dangerous for Komachi to be alone while they are out."

"…It's not good then?" Yukinoshita stated rather than asked. The general atmosphere suddenly turned gloomy as she looked to the side in disappointment. No, it wasn't directed at me. Rather, it was as if she was disappointed at herself.

Stop making me feel guilty, dammit!

Unable to avoid the subsequent glare from Yuigahama, I averted my eyes from the two. Then, in an attempt to fix the situation, I posed a question.

"…When's the summer camp?"

Taken by surprise, Yukinoshita managed to give out a somewhat corrigible answer.

"I-In one w-week! We'll be there for a few days!"

I glanced slightly at the club's own president. She had this hopeful face on her, and try as I might, I couldn't get rid of the desire to see her face like that forever.

"Well, if you managed to think up of some sort of plans that would be suitable for me and my sister, then I'll consider joining…"

Similar to what Yuigahama went through earlier, Yukinoshita's face went from anxious to delight in a matter of seconds. I felt strangely good about this change though.

"Thank you, Hikigaya-san! I'll discuss this with sensei!"

Oh, and she also stood up and bowed. Perfectly, if I was to be honest.

I merely scratched my face in embarrassment and looked away. Soon enough, our impromptu meeting was adjourned and we were on our way to our respective classes.

The afternoon lessons went without a hitch and when the final bell rang, I packed my bag and considered going to the clubroom. Then again, we just had that meeting during lunch time so it would probably be redundant to do so again.

Thus, I went straight home.

Or at least, that was my original plan because I thought about Komachi possibly waiting at home all alone. That was until the thought of Komachi possibly ambushing me by kneeing me in the head popped up.

I shuddered slightly and decided against going home for now. Normally, I wouldn't leave my lovable little sister in a house all by herself but **this** Komachi seemed to be a bit tomboyish and brash.

Not only that but her disdain for our parents coming late at night was very clear and quite frankly, I didn't want to be around that much negativity.

Oh, the irony.

But what about dinner? Komachi is, quite frankly, the house's cook besides mom but since mom is rarely home, Komachi had already assumed that position. Well, all things considered, a bowl of ramen always seems like good meal no matter the occasion.

With that in mind, I set off for the nearest ramen stall possible. I eventually found one after a couple of minutes and luckily, there were almost no one in there.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I didn't have to wait and sat on one of the stool. I ordered a bowl of miso ramen and in a matter of mere minutes; I got my dinner for the day.

The atmosphere was eerily silent but I enjoyed it nonetheless. However, I didn't get to bask that much in the ambience as another customer waltzed into the shop.

Two customers, in fact.

One customer called out for two bowls of the daily special as she sat down on one of the stool next to me, in a voice that is very familiar to me. I had my doubts but any traces of that doubt shattered as the other one called out.

"Nee-san, we should go home."

I glanced slightly to the side to see the two before widening my eyes at the sight. In the corner of my eyes, I was sure that Yukinoshita noticed me but unfortunately, my eyes weren't locked on to her.

The woman that sat next to me was surrounded by an aura of elegance and poise but it wasn't like that of Yukinoshita's. It was more...mature. The intoxicating scent one might identify as perfume filled my nostril. It was strangely alluring yet dangerous at the same time.

As the woman brushed aside a stray strand of hair from the side of her face, I got a clear view of the smiling visage that caused so much torment in so many people. It was then that I came to the conclusion:

A chance encounter with Yukinoshita Haruno could never be avoided.

* * *

 **References:**

 **[1]: The premise of the movie: The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi.**

 **If there are any grammatical/vocabulary mistakes, well, just PM me! (So I can fix it before anyone actually notices)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Minor notes:** **Well, this came out longer than I expected. It was originally short but I wasn't satisfied with it so I had to revise it multiple times. As always, if you spot any mistakes, do tell me so I don't have to face the shame.**

 **With that said, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Honestly, Summer Camp isn't that fun**

I didn't move. Not an inch.

Why?

Because throughout my experience in interacting with Yukinoshita Haruno, the best course of action is to do nothing. Absolutely nothing. No twitching, no shuffling in your seat; nothing. You see, if Haruno doesn't recognize you, you're in the clear.

Luckily, in this world, I haven't met Haruno yet. This was our first encounter and the most unfortunate thing that could happen to me was that she could see that I'm just another student who went to the same school as her sister.

Everything was alright if I play my cards well.

The ramen was still piping hot so I dug in. That wasn't a suspicious action. I was just another customer in a ramen shop, same as her. I shouldn't be worried, anxious or scared at all. Why should I be scared, anyway?

Even so, I couldn't shake off this feeling of dread, looming just to my right.

Haruno was busy diddling with her phone as she waited for the chef to finish her bowl of ramen. By the time her bowl of ramen arrived, I was already halfway through mine. All was well and fine. It would take me about five minutes, give or take, to finish this bowl.

After that, it'll be a straight shot to home.

But then, it was as if the gods of Rom-com themselves saw me in this unproblematic situation, and promptly and unanimously said 'Screw you!'.

What was I talking about, exactly?

You see, Haruno didn't come alone. She ordered two bowls of ramen, after all. One for herself and the other was obviously for her companion.

Who was her companion?

Why, her little sister, of course.

So, as I was sitting there, eating my ramen with not a care in the world (Except for the person right next to me),Yukinoshita decided that it would be a good idea to call out to me.

It wasn't a good idea. AT ALL.

"Hikigaya…san?" Came the quiet voice of Yukinoshita.

It was then that I felt as if time itself stopped.

I didn't move at first but I could feel the stares of both Haruno and Yukinoshta. It was only a matter of time before I had to face them. It would be problematic if I didn't. Yukinoshita already saw my face after all. I could just stop eating and run right then and there but it would raise my questions when we would eventually meet at school.

Unable to cope with the pressure, I succumbed to it and turn my head slowly.

I saw the face of a mildly confused Yukinoshita for a split second before another face obstructed my view. It was no mystery as to whom that face belongs to.

"Hikigaya-san, is it? My sister told me soooo much about you," Haruno started talking joyfully, "Ah, my name's Yukinoshita Haruno. Nice to meet you!"

She gave a smile. _That_ smile. The smile that makes you feel uneasy in your stomach, but not in an endearing way. Rather, it's the opposite.

I looked at her grinning face for a solid 3 seconds before shaking her extended hand. It felt soft and warm, just like the façade that she was wearing.

"Likewise…"

As gently and courteously as possible, I retracted my hand. I have to treat women with respect after all, and as much of demon as she is, Haruno is still a woman first and foremost.

Doesn't mean I liked it though.

I quickly focused my attention on to my ramen, intent on finishing it as fast as humanly possible. That was the plan until Haruno started asking me questions. I originally had no intent on answering, but considering that this was the first time we met, it would be extremely rude of me to not respond since she was the one that started the conversation.

The questions were simple at first.

"Hikigaya-kun, what year are you in?"

Surprisingly, Yukinoshita didn't interrupt her sister; rather, she was content with eating. Haruno on the other hand was content with asking me questions, considering that her bowl hadn't even been touched yet.

I felt strangely charmed yet creeped out at the same time.

"Second year."

"Favorite subject?"

"Literature."

"You do sports?"

"No."

"Future career?"

At that single moment, I stopped eating to assess the situation. It was obvious that with each question was getting more and more personal. Why did I have to pick this particular ramen shop?!

"…I don't know yet."

"Aah, such a shame, you seem like a smart person," Haruno remarked, giving me sly side-glance as she did so. I didn't think much of it, but it still sent a tingling sensation down my spine.

Dammit, Yukinoshita, why did you have to call out my name?!

"Oh, and one more thing."

I was busy eating so I could only respond with an 'Hm?'

She scooted her stool closer to mine. It didn't look like she moved that much to a spectator's eyes but trust me; I was her target after all.

Again, I didn't mind. (Mostly, because I, too, moved my seat away from her)

"So…" She leaned closer to my face, her mouth inches away from my ears. I moved my face away from her accordingly but she kept on leaning.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

It was silent for a whole second as I took the time to…take in the question, to understand it. But words were stuck in my throat. Denying it would be the logical choice, but it would only incur more teasing from the perpetrator, Haruno.

But to my relief, it was Yukinoshita that got the words out first.

"N-Nee-san! Stop that!"

She shouted. She actually shouted, in a restaurant, no less. Not only that but since she got up from her seat so fast, she almost knocked over her bowl; garnering attention from both Haruno and I.

Oh, and the chef was staring at her, bewildered at the young girl's action.

Yukinoshita immediately noticed his glare and sat back down, eyes cast downward and hands intertwined together shyly, muttering a quiet 'Sorry' as she did so.

"Nee-san, you should stop doing that…people don't like it when you get too intrusive…" Yukinoshita muttered softly, eyes still cast downward.

Haruno noticed this and leaned towards Yukinoshita in a teasing manner.

"Whaaat? Don't tell me you have a crush on Hikigaya-kun?" Haruno teased, prodding the younger girl several times.

"You know that I don't!"

 _Why did she shout that with so much emotion?!_

"You should be more assertive, you know," Haruno turned around, facing away from Yukinoshita and began talking in a wistful manner, "No wonders Hayama-kun isn't dating you."

"T-This and that are two different things!"

Haruno gave a goodhearted chuckle at her sister's demise.

Oh and it should be noted that while this was going on, I was already finished with my meal and heading out of the restaurant. Heh, efficiency at its finest. I should probably celebrate escaping from Haruno's grasp.

I'll do that at home with MAX coffee and anime.

The sun already set by the time I got outside and street lamps were beginning to light up. To make matters worse, this was one of those moonless nights. That meant minimal vision for me for my journey back home.

Luckily, there was a bus stop mere meters away from the restaurant. I breathed a sigh of relief as I went over to the empty bench. I pulled out my phone and check my messages, expecting Komachi to ask me why I was late and all that other things good sister asks.

However, instead of an inbox filled with worried messages, I get an inbox filled with…nothing, except for a couple of spam messages sent by phone companies.

Maybe this was a sign that she was growing up, a sign that she was finally a young adult, a responsible member of society. Just like a bird, she was bound to leave the nest one day. Then I remembered something.

This wasn't my Komachi.

Ah, the thought that once crippled my mind was now a mere afterthought. I didn't mind it, though I was a bit worried about how I was getting used to all of this. The night was silent, save for the occasionally passing cars, but I relished in the silence. It was peaceful and calm, a complete contrast to the fiasco earlier.

The peace and quiet didn't last long though.

A tap on my shoulder made me turn around and let out a scream. No, no, no, it wasn't a scream. It was just a gasp. A gasp! Even if it was a scream, it was very manly!

Even though it was just a small gasp, I still had one of my hands on my chest, breathing deeply as I did so. The perpetrator was just out of the streetlamp's light but the moment she came into view, I involuntarily sighed in relief.

No no no, let me rephrase that. I was relieved that it wasn't a thief or a ghost but then again, if I had to choose between interacting with a thief/ghost and Yukinoshita Haruno of all people, the thief/ghost would win by a slight margin.

I started off with a cough, "Haruno-san, shouldn't you **not** leave your sister alone?"

"Oh my," She held her cheek in one hand, "Are you worried about Yukino-chan?"

"She just doesn't seem too social."

Haruno gave me an inquisitive stare in return. I coughed into my hands again.

"Anyway, why did you follow me?"

"Follow you? I just need to a take a call, see?" Pointing to her phone, she gave me a smirk of victory.

But before I could get my retorts in (If I had any), Haruno continued talking.

"Also, I just want to ask you something. Think of it as a request from this curious Onee-san, if you will."

"…Go ahead." I replied without thinking.

She began walking closer. I unconsciously took a step back. Crap, why did I agree to it?

"What do you think of Yukino-chan?"

Closer.

"Cute?"

She began leaning into my face.

"Dependable?"

15 centimeters.

"Beautiful?"

10 centimeters.

"Or perhaps, girlfriend material?"

5 centimeters.

I pushed her back gently. After all, Haruno is a girl.

"She's a nice girl."

I looked at her in the eyes as I said that. She looked at me in confusion then in annoyance then finally in exasperation.

"That's it?"

A bait.

I knew it was a bait. After all, her shaking head and exaggerated mannerisms only further proved my points. There was no way she wasn't goading me.

But still, like the stupid idiot I am, I felt for it.

"Are you implying that I have a crush on her?"

Haruno gave me a sidelong glance, "I'm not implying anything, though I have to say, Yukino-chan seems quite comfortable around you."

If annoyance wasn't seeping out of my eyes, I don't know what was.

"Even if I have a crush, don't you think it's pointless?"

"How so?"

"She has a crush on Hayama, right? It's that obvious."

"Hmmm?" Like the sly cat that she is, Haruno leaned in closer, "What makes you so sure that Hayama-kun will accept her?"

"They're childhood friends; isn't that enough?"

Another look of confusion.

"How did you know they were childhood friends?"

My eyes widened at the revelation. She was right. How did I know? Hayama could just be a friend that she made when she was in middle school or high school. He doesn't necessarily have to be a childhood friend. He could just be a best friend.

Ah, crap.

"I-uhh, I mean, it's pretty obvious that they're like that since umm, you talk so casually about him, y'know," Averting my gaze was the only thing that I could do. I was sure she was basically glaring at me at this point.

"Is that so?" She reverted back to her snarky self, "Fine, I'll buy that."

The way she said that made it seemed as if she didn't believe me. Well, to be honest, if anyone were to know any intimate secrets concerning Komachi, I would've immediately labeled that person as a stalker.

I sighed. Maybe, this interrogation of sorts could finally be over.

"Though, I still have one more question."

Now, I've probably said this before but Haruno have a particular tone that incites distress.

The one she was using now was no different.

But then, as if the gods above heard me, the bus arrived. And along with that, so did the commuters; who got off in droves. I took that chance to blend myself in with the crowd and ultimately, get on the bus.

I succeeded and immediately rest my bag and my body onto the soft bus seat. Ahh, bliss. Despite feeling a weird sense of happiness, I wondered what Haruno felt when she couldn't find me. Was she pissed off? Disappointed?

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I looked out the window.

Chiba is a really industrialized region thus its people are hustling and bustling all the time so it wasn't unbelievable to think that the moment the commuters got off the bus, they immediately went to their destination. This, of course, left the bus stop empty.

Except for a single person.

Because standing alone under the lone street lamp near the bus stop was Yukinoshita Haruno…and she was giving me that smile. The smile in exasperation as to why I thought I could escape. The smile that was clearly making a fool out of me.

I immediately switched my seat to the other side. Screw etiquette!

In this world, this was our first encounter. However, I already had experience in dealing with Haruno. But despite that and the fact that this was the first time that she had ever interacted with me, she still put me off my game.

Yukinoshita Haruno is a dangerous woman.

* * *

This baseball match was really interesting.

And no, I wasn't saying that so I could avoid the guilt of not helping the Service club prepare their summer camp during the last week before summer vacation. I definitely didn't say that because I avoided any and all club related activities during the last week.

Some might even say that I avoided interacting with Yukinoshita so that I wouldn't come face to face with a particular person again.

Well, guess what?

That claim is just preposterous! Insane, even!

You see, a summer camp isn't just something that can be magically 'poofed' into existence. It requires hard work, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears. And the end result is that those who helped prepare the camp get to enjoy it to its fullest.

For example: Person A is in charge of preparing the meals therefore person A gets to enjoy most of the resources in the camp since meals are important.

That was the reason to why I, Hikigaya Hachiman, wasn't going to the summer camp. After all, I didn't do anything. Nothing whatsoever! So wouldn't it be unfair to those who actually did something?

Of course, it would!

Oh, and also, the baseball match that was currently on TV was really interesting.

Komachi was quite into the match too as she stared at the TV intensely while clutching her throw pillow tightly. I didn't mind that she was ruining the pillow even though it was apparently mom's favorite. Well, I guess anything's better than a little sister shouting 'BOMA YE!' **[1]** while trying to knee you in the face at six in the morning.

Thanks, pro wrestling!

The away team got the upper hand and at that moment, I felt a bit supportive of the losing team. Not that it mattered though because the away team got another home run in a matter of minutes. Well, it was fun watching you guys chase a small ball.

Then, as if to tear through the noise coming from the TV, my phone buzzed for a few seconds before stopping. Komachi and I heard it but we didn't care that much. It was probably from a phone company anyway.

The second buzz was sounded but even that didn't take our attention away from the match.

The third buzz then the fourth, the fifth and it was at the sixth buzz that Komachi finally uttered what I've been thinking.

"Onii-chan, your phone."

Sighing, I reluctantly moved my body get the phone, "You don't have to tell me that."

My hand was mere inches away from the phone as another buzz sounded. Why did this feel like it would lead me to an endless summer? **[2]**

 _Silly Hachiman, you've been reading way too many light novels lately._

The first message was indeed a spam message from the phone company. I immediately took care of it.

However, it was the next couple of messages that sent me down into a spiral of dread. Every one of them had no subjects and every one of them was short and concise.

By concise, I meant desperate.

Just like last time, they were from Hiratsuka-sensei and just like last time, they were…in short, something that a single woman would send.

Messages such as:

'Hikigaya, where are you? We were supposed to meet for the camp. Reply as soon as possible.'

'Hikigaya, seriously, where are you? Reply asap.'

'Dude, I'm serious. Where the hell are you?'

I grimaced at that last one. She sounded like one of those old people who tried to be hip and cool by using buzzwords only brain dead teenagers would use. Not saying she's old or anything.

Well, at least, she managed to keep her grammars in check. Otherwise, that would've been an embarrassing stain on her resume.

Just like the spam messages, I deleted all of Hiratsuka-sensei's messages quickly. Sure, she might get mad at me later for not responding but hell, I could just say my cat broke my phone and I need to get it repaired or something.

I turned the phone off and focused my attention back onto the game.

The only noise that was present was the commentators yelling enthusiastically and the irregular shuffling between Komachi and the couch. Other than that, there was really no noise, which was fine. I enjoyed ambient noise rather than absolute noiselessness anyway.

A ringing sound soon disrupted the harmony in the room like a screech in a symphony. It came from Komachi's phone. She silently excused herself so that she could have some alone time (I presumed) and thus, left me all alone to view the baseball match.

Moments later, footsteps could be heard and as the curious person that I am, I turned towards the source. It was Komachi, carrying two sports bags that looked like it had been jam-packed with items.

She ran towards the door in a hurry and shouted as she did so.

"Onii-chan, I'm going out for a while!"

"Kay." Was my simple reply.

The door slammed shut and once again, I was left alone. I sighed for no apparent reason before changing the channels. It was summer after all and I completed _most_ of the summer homework so it wasn't like I had anything urgent to do.

My activities at the time consisted of watching random channels, picking out a random light novel to read, occasionally checking my messages (All of which are from Hiratsuka-sensei) and finding new way to make Kamakura annoyed.

It was weird but then again, it was summer after all.

My boredom was quickly reaching its peak and I would've died of boredom had it not been for the house phone ringing. I quickly got up to receive the call.

Why did I get up? Well, you see, house phone are never **ever** used unless there's an emergency. The fact that someone even bother to call the house phone and not my personal phone was a testament of that.

I could just be using this to get rid of my boredom. Who cares? It was a weird day after all.

"Hello, Hikigaya household."

"Ah, onii-chan, big trouble."

Normally, if I heard this, I would drop everything and rush to find Komachi because Komachi **is** in trouble. But the way she unenthusiastically said 'Big trouble' was enough to make me doubt her.

"What's wrong?"

"I..uhh," There was a moment in which I could hear many people talking simultaneously, as if Komachi moved away from the phone. After a few seconds, her voice came back.

"I kicked a boy in the groin. And now his parents are mad and they won't let me go."

I took a moment to take that information in. To drink it in, to understand it to its fullest. And all I could really say was

Bullshit.

"You kicked a boy…in the groin?"

"Yeah…" She trailed off.

"You know how ridiculous you sound right now?"

"Well, I didn't really kick him in the groin…I just-You know what?"

"What?"

"Just come to the station. I can wait."

"Nah, I rather spend my summer wisely."

"Please~"

"If the parents are mad then why are you calling me? Shouldn't you call mom and dad?"

I heard Komachi scoffing on the other end. Jeez, she must really dislike our parents.

"Those guys will be late. You're the only reliable one."

Heh, flattery? Sorry but against a loner like me who has all his defense maxed out, flattery would only incite a sarcastic 'Thank you'.

"Sorry, I'm busy."

"With what?!"

"…stuff."

"Onii-cha-,"

"Bye."

I hung up shortly after with no regret. If I recalled correctly, this was also how Hiratsuka-sensei got me to join the trip last time. I had to admit, it was smart of her to use my brotherly love against me. Too bad the loner's decree is 'Once bitten, twice shy'.

 _Well, I guess I'll go annoy Kamakura or something._

But before I even took two steps away from the house phone, it rang around. I had no choice but to pick it up, just in case of emergencies.

"Hello, Hikigaya household."

"Ah…Hikigaya-san, good morning."

W-Wha…what was with this angelic voice? It was so innocent and pure. If that voice could be turned into an object, it would immediately be turned into a cotton candy…or a marshmallow; a marshmallow that can be hugged and cuddled with. I mean, it sounded kinda forced but it was nice for my ears so who cares?

"Umm, Hikigaya-san, are you there?" The angelic voice asked.

"Y-Yes, I just spaced out a bit. So, what were you saying?"

The voice paused then more voices made themselves known in a similar manner to when Komachi called me earlier.

"Ah, right! Komachi-chan, your sister, umm…got into trouble and we need someone to be here…on her behalf."

But still, Komachi actually kicked someone in the groin. On top of that, she did it to a boy.

I mean, I doubted the validity of her story but since this innocent, pure voice (Probably the mediator between Komachi and the parents) basically confirmed the story for her.

Sure, I had my doubts but honestly, who wouldn't doubt their sister telling them that she kicked someone in the groin? But even with my doubt, I just couldn't **not** trust that undeniably sweet voice.

The voice was like a ray of sunlight piercing through the gray, melancholic clouds. It was sweet, euphoric and blissful, as if MAX coffee itself turned into a voice actress.

 _Ah, bliss…_

"Hikigaya-san?"

"Ah, I understand. I'll be there shortly," I replied with a bit too much gusto. I probably had a stupid grin on my face as I said this.

The house phone was laid to rest and after a cold drink, I headed out the door. The sun wasn't that high up in the sky and it didn't feel that hot so I didn't think it would be necessary to take my bike.

That was my first horrible mistake of the day.

You see, due to my dislike of the weather channels, I honestly didn't expect the weather to be boiling hot. I wondered how Komachi even got to the station in weather as horrible as this, and she was carrying two bags!

Then again, I am not the fittest person in the family. Komachi might be though since that little shrimp apparently has a lot of interest in wrestling.

Maybe, I should get invested in a sport too one day.

After countless footsteps and a stop at a nearby vending machine, I finally reached my destination. Somewhat. I could see the station in the distance but no sight of Komachi yet.

A few more steps and the sight of an energetic shrimp waving her hand came into view. I begrudgingly worked my way there, clutching the half empty water bottle that had kept me going thus far.

"Oniiiii-chan!" Komachi waved her hand in an enthusiastic yet unsightly manner.

There clearly people looking strangely at her and if I went over to her, they'll probably look at me weird too.

As I finally came face to face with Komachi, both of my hands immediately dropped on my knees as I panted uncontrollably. It felt like my lungs were burning in an endless pit of fire. I would've fainted if not for the jovial laughter of Komachi.

That's right. Instead of asking 'Onii-chan, are you okay?' or 'Onii-chan, you're not hurt, are you?' she laughed in the cutest way possible. That cute laugh would probably send the past Hachiman to his grave.

Unfortunately, present Hachiman was only annoyed.

"Y-You actually fell for it?" Komachi said, chortling every so often, "I m-mean, seriously?!"

My eyes twitched as I watched my dear little sister enjoy herself at my expense. It was a truly wonderful and eye opening experience.

"I'm going home," I announced abruptly before turning heel and heading the other direction.

Well, that was the plan, at least; until the sweet voice on the phone called out to me.

"Hikkiiiiiiiiiiiiii"

Turning around I was greeted by the sight of a moving figure, waving its hand in the air with gusto. But due to the glare of the sun, I didn't get a good look at the figure's face. Though, I did see a bun of hair swaying from side to side.

I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to identify the person. Even though she got closer, the sun was still as bright as ever and as a result, I still couldn't see her.

In hindsight, I should've known who it was by her shouting 'Hikki', but by then, it was too late as a fist collided against my mid-section.

No, it didn't feel like a fist. It felt like a mini bullet train ramming its head against my abdomen then exploding, causing my stomach to twist and coil and ultimately snap, leaving a large hole in its place.

Recoiling in pain, I almost dropped to one knee as I held my stomach in agony. Using what little willpower I had left, I tried to sneak a peek at the attacker. She was crossing her arms in a very intimidating manner.

With the voice of an enraged beast, Yuigahama Yui spoke up.

"Well?"

Yuigahama was giving me this awful glare that would even put Hiratsuka-sensei to shame. That wasn't a compliment though.

 _Ah, so she was the false angel…_

I didn't reply immediately, waiting for her to make the first move.

That was the second mistake of the day.

"Where were you?! We were supposed to meet one hour ago like Yukinon said!"

"I don't recall making any plans with you."

"Y-You…."

Yuigahama was visibly red from anger. She was gritting her teeth and her body language clearly stated that she wants to choke me out or break my arm…or both.

"YOU," She shouted, pointing a finger at me, "Made us miss the bus and now, all the others already went to the camp and WE are stuck going there in sensei's car! Congrats!"

"If you're so mad, then why did you just go with them?"

Instead of a reply laced with venom, Yuigahama stuttered incoherently before deciding on not saying anything. Or rather, she did say something but she mumbled.

What a moody girl.

"…Well…I mean, I'll feel bad if you, y'know…" Yuigahama eventually spoke up but immediately trailed off, making her entire statement complete unintelligible.

I didn't ask her to clarify it nor did I ask her why she didn't feel bad punching me. It was just common sense, you know. Just like it's common sense to not poke a sleeping bear.

However, I didn't fall into the trap of shy-girl appeal.

"Even if I am going, I'll have to go back home and pack my stuff," I stated sagely.

"Hah?"

"Think about it; if you leave now without me then you'll save time, because if I have to go then we'll have to go to my home **then** go to the camp. See the problem?"

Instead of a confused face, Yuigahama simply sighed. I was confused for a second until Komachi patted me on the back.

"Onii-chan, I already got you covered," She assured me, even showing me a victory sign and that toothy grin of hers.

I was about to ask how she did so, but then, I remembered the two bags that she brought on her way out. Two bags that were obviously stuffed to the brim.

 _This Komachi is much smarter than previously anticipated._

With nowhere to run or hide, I could only glare at Komachi softly before following her and Yuigahama's cheerful hike towards Hiratsuka-sensei's car. Even though I gave up the notion of running away, seeing those two before talk so casually begged the question.

When did they meet?

How did they meet?

Where?

But I didn't ask. It probably had something to do with the accident anyways, so unless I wanted to bring up painful memories for both me and Yuigahama, I shouldn't ask.

When we got to the car, Hiratsuka-sensei was already in there, her fingers tapping the steering wheel slowly and methodically. Komachi and Yuigahama immediately went to the backseats and I would've too, if not for the voice of Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Hikigaya, sit in the front."

Her voice was soft yet it also contained the slightest bit of venom. I grimaced slightly before ultimately succumbing to her overwhelming presence and sat down.

Yuigahama and Komachi was still talking though I wasn't paying that much attention to them as I was trying to test the waters that was Hiratsuka-sensei, because one hour into the ride, she was still making a straight face even through the occasional snoring that Yuigahama did, which admittedly got a chuckle out of me.

A bit curious to see why she was so quiet, I asked Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Where's Yukinoshita?"

"She went to the camp first." She replied simply.

The tension in the air was so thick that I actually had a bit of trouble breathing properly. Must be my mind playing tricks on me again.

"So…" My eyes were still fixated on the road in front of me, "Are you mad at me?"

Silence enveloped the area for a good while before Hiratsuka-sensei spoke up.

"Damn right I am," She paused for a bit before continuing, "Yukinoshita even told you about it during the last week of school yet you never even came to help us prepare."

I winced at the brutality of her words. I actually expected her to reach out and hit me at any time but it never came. Her face was as stoic as ever as she continued driving. I inhaled deeply before asking another question, hoping that this one wouldn't provoke the already enraged beast.

"…Are you going to hit me?"

"Not with these two in the cars."

"So…"

"I will hit you," She made a sharp turn, causing me to almost lose my balance, "Later."

I gulped.

The rest of the trip was relatively silent with the only noise being the radio. When we arrived at our destination, the sky had already been painted orange by the setting sun. Yet as we got off the car, there were still lots of activities going on, most of them being done by kids.

After unloading our stuff, I was assigned to the task of making sure the kids won't wander into the forest, because according to Yuigahama, I couldn't be trusted with anything else and had to make myself useful.

I felt a bit hurt but then again, it was less work.

I could recognize some of the Sobu high students running around and helping the kids, like Hayama and Yukinoshita. The latter didn't give me a glance. Then again, she was busy and I was pretty far away.

This chain of events didn't happen last time, considering that the organization back then was whack. Truth be told, I don't even think there were assigned roles back then.

Though I had to wonder; this world is different yet somehow alike to my world. So if this chain of events continues to occur, that would mean that I would meet _her_ soon.

Walking around aimlessly (Or rather, to prevent any child from getting lost), I encountered a lone girl playing a handheld game under a tree quite far away from the other children.

On closer inspection, I could see why. Mildly long black hair, piercing eyes and a bored face.

Yeah, it was definitely _her._

I walked towards her silently as to not disturb her gaming session. She gave me a glance, a short one but not before turning back to her game. Sighing, I decided to just walk up to her normally.

Well, if by normal, you mean standing behind her.

"Yo," I greeted nonchalantly.

The girl turned her head slowly and gave me a sidelong glance before turning back once more. There was silence between her and I for a couple of seconds, even though there were people bustling right in front of us.

Finally, like a lightning streaking across the dark sky, she spoke up.

"Hello." Was her simple greeting.

"Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

"I already got my game," She said, not even taking her eyes off said game, "Plus, those kids are too stupid and self-centered anyways."

I raised an eyebrow, "That's just rude."

"Not as rude as the guy who greeted someone without introducing himself first," She retorted, her eyes still glued to the game.

I paused for a bit to take in what she had said.

Oh, she was talking about me _…_

 _How rude._

"Hikigaya Hachiman."

Finally turning around to face me, she said, "Rumi. Tsurumi Rumi."

Of course, the lonely primary school student that I had already met. Well, in another world anyway. Not that I could tell that to her, though she would just think that I'm delusional or something along that line.

"So," I brought up my previous question, "Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

"I told you, didn't I? Those kids are too stupid and self-centered to play with."

As I was about to respond, Rumi interrupted me, "And also, if we're playing a group game, I'm just gonna get assigned to the most boring role anyway. I'm better off playing my games."

I stared at her quizzically before sighing, "You're too young to be this cynical."

"And you're not?" She turned around, an eyebrow raised in a mocking manner.

"I prefer the term 'realistic'."

"Yeah? Then I guess I'm realistic too then."

I swear; it was like her sarcasm multiplied tenfold from the last time I met her. As much as I would like to commend her for picking up the trademark loner's sarcasm, I really wouldn't. Last time, it was due to her being ostracized that led her into becoming a loner.

This time, it was in combination with her ostracizing herself.

At this rate, she might as well kiss her social life goodbye. Not that social life really matters in a elementary school anyway; as a certain Ice Queen would say, most of your classmates will forget you once they get into middle school.

Maybe, I felt responsible for Rumi being a complete loner.

Maybe, it was because Rumi reminded me of Komachi.

Even so, I still wanted to help Rumi.

"I'm gonna go to my room for now. Bye," Rumi announced her departure hastily.

I could only mutter a small 'Okay' before she took off, game in hand and not a care in the world. Was she intimidated by me? No, rather, she was probably weirded out by me. Well, with eyes like mine, no sane person would want to stay too long around my general vicinity.

Heh, that sounds like something the old Yukinoshita would say.

…The old Yukinoshita, huh…

As I observed the introverted girl moving farther and farther away from me, I failed to notice two figures looming up behind me. It wasn't until one of the figures spoke that my I realized there was someone behind me.

"She seems lonely, doesn't she?"

I immediately jumped back in surprise, almost gasping in the process. The innocent face of Yukinoshita stared at me with confusion as I calmed myself down. Jeez, how did I let myself go like that? Normally, I would be more aware of my surroundings.

Either that or Yukinoshita took supplementary courses in Stealth Hikki.

There was another person behind Yukinoshita, a person that I'm all too familiar with. Yukinoshita followed my stare until it landed on her partner, to which she realized that we hadn't met yet.

Well, _he_ hadn't met me yet.

"Ah, Hikigaya-san, this is-,"

Her partner interrupted her, "Nice to meet you. My name's Hayama Hayato."

The resident heart throb of Sobu high extended his hand towards me, a perfect smile adorning his also perfect face. I could puke at his superficial attempts at trying to befriend me but I didn't. It would be rude, now wouldn't it?

"Hikigaya Hachiman," I shook his hand gingerly before pulling away. If I spend any more time in contact with this ball of shallow social relationships, I would probably turn into one too. That is a scary thought.

"She must really be fond of you, Hikigaya-kun," Hayama said offhandedly before turning to me, "I've actually talked to Rumi-chan but she always dismisses me."

"Must be your dastardly good charms repelling her," I couldn't help but let a snide remark through.

However, Hayama merely gave me an awkward smile, "Umm…thanks, I guess."

 _That wasn't a compliment, you nincompoop._

"I feel really bad for Rumi-chan…" Hayama glanced at the retreating figure of Rumi, seemingly in worries about her loneliness. I was more worried about how she would hit a tree if she kept walking while playing her game.

"When we arrived here earlier, everyone split up into groups except for her," He continued with a longing look in his eyes, "She didn't even join in on any ice-breaking activities that we had."

"And…It's kinda sad to see someone like that, you know." He finished off with a stupid grin.

I would argue that he didn't know what kind of circumstances Rumi is in but I let it slide. After all, it wasn't like arguing with him was going to do anything. And if I remember correctly, my plan last time didn't help Rumi that much either. In fact, it worsened Rumi's social standings.

So really, I shouldn't be the one giving out advice here.

"Umm, Hayama-kun, we're supposed to tell the others of dinner..." Yukinoshita spoke up meekly.

"Oh, right!" Hayama began breaking into a jog, "I'll go tell the others! You and Hikigaya-kun go on ahead!"

And with that, I was left with a dumbfounded Yukinoshita, watching as Hayama boisterously ran to tell everyone that it was dinnertime.

That statement alone was ridiculous but what was more ridiculous was the fact that Yukinoshita observed the running Hayama with such a wistful look in her eyes. Not only that but she had a small, wistful smile on her face. It wasn't that noticeable until you get closer to her and…well, it was a bit off-putting.

Because Yukinoshita Yukino never smiled, and if she did smile, she would do so in a mocking fashion. But the smile that adorned her face at the moment was…unlike any other. It was sincere and quite frankly, charming.

It was also obviously directed at Hayama so that was also off-putting.

But then again, childhood friends _are_ supposed to be friendly to each other.

* * *

Dinner was comprised of curry, curry and oh, more curry.

It's not like I entirely hate curry though. Rather, I do enjoy a mildly spicy curry. It's just that for the past week, I had nothing but curry for dinner. No, that wasn't an exaggeration. We literally had curry for a week straight.

You see, this Komachi prefers the efficiency of cup ramen to the nutritional values of an actual meal. As such, she wasn't cooking any meals thus leaving me to feed myself. Since I could only cook instant ramen or curry, it was obvious as to which meal I chose (Considering the nutritional values, of course).

But the curry that both primary and high school students prepared for this camp was really subpar compared to my own. In fact, I'd say that it was horrible beyond comparison.

That's not bragging, by the way, it was just pure facts.

However, it did leave me with quite a bit of stomach pain and as a result, I had to relieve myself. I wasn't about to go into the camp's bathroom though. That thing was way too far from our cabin and it was deep in the woods as well.

That combination just screams dreadfulness.

The next logical choice would be to endure this pain, but I couldn't. This stomachache felt like dozen of knifes prodding my stomach all at the same time. So instead, I settled on walking randomly about, hoping that the movement would ease the pain.

I don't really know if it will work or not; I didn't really pay that much attention in biology class.

But mere minutes into my walk, I could hear random hiccups echoing throughout the forest. It wasn't that loud and I suspected that if I wasn't in close proximity of it then I probably wouldn't have heard it at all.

…Wait, that meant whatever was emitting that sound was near me!

Now normally, I would've run away at that instant, go under my blankets and shut my eyes until morning arrives (That isn't due to fear, by the way, it is just logical to run away from dangers). But the night blessed me with the presence of the full moon, basically illuminating the area that I was in.

And with that illumination, I was able to see a lump situated under a tree. Soon, one of the clouds somewhat blocking the moon finally passed and I was able to see what the 'lump' really was.

It was a person with a mass of black hair, hugging their knees and apparently…crying, if the constant hiccupping in their voice was any indication. I had some ideas of who this person could be, but my mind strongly refused to believe it. I mean, she was supposed to be an independent person with a headstrong personality.

I had to remind myself that that was no longer the case.

"Yukinoshita?" I muttered softly under my breath, hoping not to startle her too much.

Lifting her head up, I could see why she kept it down in the first place.

Because of the moonlight, I could see shining orbs rolling down her face. They were like pearls, but unfortunately, they were anything but beautiful.

Yukinoshita quickly took notice of her current state and immediately removed her glasses before vigorously wiping her eyes. When she was done, all I could make of her face was red mess.

She stood up shakily before giving me her best smile. She must've thought that it looked nice but to me, it looked desperate. Miserable even…

"Aha…Hikigaya-san, hello! Are you having troubles sleeping as well?" Yukinoshita asked, still keeping up her smile.

"Why were you crying?"

It may seem like a blunt question, but I really had no clue as how to handle a crying person since more often than not, I'm the one that makes people cry, intentionally and unintentionally.

"What are you talking abo-," She stopped as she stared at me right in the eyes. Seconds later, her eyes were glued to the ground and she was holding the hem of her shirt tightly.

"S-Sorry, it's just…I'm embarrassed to be seen like this, you know,"

I grimaced at her flashing another sad smile at me. Why was she punishing herself like this?

"So…" I decided that it would be the best to focus on something else while asking her, "why were you crying?"

Sneaking a few glances at her, I could see that she had the same idea as she was looking to the side and grasping the hem of her shirt even more tightly.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling it out shakily, she tried her best to reply.

"It's a bit…hard for me to explain," She sniffled for a bit before continuing, "…you see can see it for yourself, if you want…"

"See it for myself?" I looked at her, confused at what I was supposed to see. But Yukinoshita took another deep breath and let go of her shirt before pointing somewhere. I followed her finger towards a riverbank.

I moved towards it to get a clearer view, and lo and behold, there were two figures sitting side by side right in front of the river, talking and chuckling cheerfully as they did so, though I couldn't exactly make out what they said. They were both blond by the looks of it.

It's safe to say that it doesn't take a genius to figure out who those two were.

As I moved back to Yukinoshita, she caught my knowing glance and quickly averted her eyes.

"Uhh…."

 _Crap, why is this so uncomfortable?_

"How long do you have a, you know…," I scratched my head in awkwardness, "A crush on him?"

I wasn't looking at Yukinoshita directly so I wasn't able to see her reaction. Was she sad? Confused? Perhaps even amused by my question?

"Ever since we were little…" I heard her breath out a sigh filled with melancholy, "It's pathetic, isn't it? I've known Hayama-kun for such a long time yet someone got to him first."

Crap, her voice was shaking more and more with every word that came out of her mouth. At this rate, she was going to cry again. I can't handle people crying when it's not my fault!

So, in desperation, I did the only thing that I could do to distract her.

"…Then why don't you confess to him?"

"E-Eh?" Yukinoshita looked at me in confusion, "But Miura-san…"

"Just because they're together at night doesn't mean they're dating, you know," _Actually, it looks like they are, "_ What if they are just hanging out like us right now?"

"But they're so close to each other…"

"Yeah so?" _That's a good point though…_ , "But even if they are…you know…dating…"

"Still, getting closure is better than doing nothing, right?" I finished off with a sagely tone.

In hindsight, I shouldn't be the one giving out these advice. I didn't come to this summer camp to be a therapist nor to give out love consultations. In fact, my advice's would probably make people's lives even worse.

 _And Yukinoshita's also looking at me like I'm some sort of weirdo…_

"…Thank you…"

Wait, what?

"Huh?" My mouth hung open in confusion.

"I-I mean…for bothering yourself with my problems and all…"

 _Oh, so that's what she's talking about._

"It's fine," I tried to compose myself to the best of my ability, "We're…friends after all, right?"

With the best smile that she could make, Yukinoshita nodded cheerfully.

Friends, huh…

Silence soon settled between us as we were both content with just enjoying the forest ambience. Well, I was anyways but Yukinoshita decided on looking in the general direction of Hayama. I wasn't surprised at all. There was no way that she would let go of him in an instant.

If one thinks of love, they think of youth.

If one thinks of youth, they think of love.

I've never experienced love or youth and probably never will. Those past crushes of mine were just mere physical attraction or infatuation. It wasn't sincere in the slightest and I definitely wasn't proud of it.

But Yukinoshita was currently experiencing both to the fullest. The longing look in her eyes was enough to assure me that her feelings weren't mere infatuation. And for that, I was genuinely glad for her.

Yet when I looked upon those genuine gazes of hers, I felt a prick in my chest. It wasn't like a stabbing sensation like a knife would to flesh. Instead, it felt like a small needle poking at my chest every second as if it was taunting me.

It didn't hurt too much. It just felt…agonizing, for the lack of a better term.

Truly, summer camp is the worst.

* * *

 **References:**

 **[1]: The name of a knee strike by a wrestler named Shinsuke Nakamura. It also means 'Kill him' in Lingala.**

 **[2]: Endless Eight.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Howdy. I hope you didn't wait too long even though I know you did anyway. Still, thanks for the favorites and follows and I'll *try* to update as fast as I could. No promises though. If you spot any mistakes, PM me.**

 **With that said, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: As expected, Hayama Hayato is unreliable.**

If one thinks of summer, then the phrase 'fun activities under the sun' comes to mind.

If one thinks of 'fun activities under the sun', then summer comes to mind.

However, if a loner thinks of summer, then the phrase 'Spending time alone underneath the air conditioner' will definitely come to mind. Source: Me.

And since I am a certified loner, all of my summer ever since middle school thus far had been spent alone. But, it wasn't lonely at all. In fact, did you know that a cat makes for a great company? Well, at least Kamakura does.

But alas, it seemed that my unending chain of laid back summers had finally come to an end at the hands of a demonic teacher and her equally demonic minions. I had been kidnapped and forced against my will to come work under the scorching sun in the pretense of nurturing the future generation.

Today, coincidentally, was one of those 'free' days. Basically, it meant that both kids and teenagers alike would be able to roam around freely and do whatever they want to do until evening where we'll probably gather up and do some sort of events together.

Just that very thought pained me.

And since it was summer and all, both parties decided to play around in the river. As a result, I was forced to accompany my very endearing little sister in her endeavors of enjoying her youthful summer.

We decided to split up into two groups; one group consisted of kids watched over by the supervisors while the other group consisted of harebrained teenagers who could barely take care of themselves. Seriously, we would be better if the teenagers' group had a supervisor too. Hiratsuka-sensei didn't count. She was busy sleeping away on a deck chair, basking in the glory of the sun.

As for me, I was obviously stuck with the group consisting of manchilds. If it wasn't for Komachi, I wouldn't be sitting under the scorching sun, observing these nincompoops. Sometimes, I wonder why I do these things for my little sister.

If only that toothy grin of hers wasn't so damn cute.

Since I was dragged along, I was relegated-or rather, I relegated myself to overwatch duty. In short, I had to watch over everyone's belongings, even if a certain teacher was there and could do the exact same thing. I didn't mind it that much though, after all, I had experience in dealing with this sort of things.

Whenever we had a trip to the pool during elementary school, all the other students would force me to sit out playing in the pool and watch over their stuff. 70% of the time, it came from female students with their undeniably sweet voice. Sometimes, even the teachers joined in.

Tch, those damn teachers, desperate for another sliver of youth.

But as I said, I didn't mind. People frolicking around in the water are the 'main characters'. I don't want to be a main character. It's tiring and troublesome. I'd rather be a side character who exists just for the sake of existing. Really, there's no debate as to which one is better.

Though, due to the amount of skimpy swimsuits being worn by girls with…voluptuous figure such as Yuigahama, perhaps those 'main characters' can experience the 'Lucky pervert!' event. But while it may seem all fine and dandy, I wouldn't want to be labeled a pervert.

Plus, the actual main character of the clique himself was busy looking after actual children along with his ever so faithful assistant, Yukinoshita Yukino.

I suspected another reason for her tagging along with him, considering what happened last night but I'll let that thought slide. It was a personal thing for her and I shouldn't even think about it.

Because of my musings, I failed to notice a figure looming just in front of me. Even though she had quite a figure, my eyes were staring blankly at Totsuka enjoying himself as he splashed water on Komachi and vice versa.

 _That's definitely hitting two birds with one stone._

"Yo, Hikki, mind passing me that water bottle?"

The presence of two gigantic water balloons pressed together made itself known to me. It was close, too close. If it was any closer, all my blood would exit out of my nose! Yuigahama seriously should consider about when to expose her weapons of mass destruction.

"…you're alright?" She asked, bemused at me backing away from her.

"Y-Yeah," With one hand covering my nose while the other reaching for the water bottles, I managed to fulfill her request, "Here you go."

"Thanks," Yuigahama took the bottle immediately and began downing the water inside rather greedily and sloppily. She was so desperate in getting her fill of water that she actually spilled a generous amount of water on her already wet…

 _Stop thinking about that, stupid Hachiman!_

I decided that turning around and ignoring Yuigahama's two gleaming orbs was better than me getting caught ogling at it.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah…"

"You sure you don't want to take a swim?"

"I forgot my trunks.

"Komachi told me she packed yours though…" I could hear her pause in contemplation before she continued talking again, "Agh, whatever. If you want to join, you're free to, y'know!"

"Aye aye…"

Because I was facing away from her, I couldn't make out what her expression was as she said that. It was probably really pissy anyway. She quickly ran back to the water, as evident by the sound of her footsteps.

The bush in front of me rattled slightly before out came a familiar elementary school student with one hand clearing the leaves and branches while the other grasped a handheld console tightly.

I looked at her incredulously as she nonchalantly made her way over to where I was loafing about and promptly sat down without so much as a glance at me. Her little fingers danced across the console daintily, only stopping to take a break every once in a while.

"Yo."

She continued tapping her console without a care in the world. Somehow, I felt like we'd done this already and just like before, Tsurumi Rumi was giving off an aura of rudeness. Totally undeniable rudeness. I don't care if she's an elementary student; at least greet someone back.

"Yo."

My eyes widened as the enigma that was Rumi finally opened her mouth. I mean, sure, it was only one syllable but at least, she wasn't being sarcastic or too rude.

"So," I initiated the conversation, "What are you doing here? Isn't the kids' section over there?"

In response, the young girl stared at me as if I was an idiot. I take that back. She was being rude, just like yesterday. No, she was even ruder than she was yesterday.

"Isn't it obvious?" This time, she actually looked at me straight in the eyes, "I just don't find it fun being around them."

"Is that so…"

I turned around just in time to see Totsuka being drenched by water, all while his face was still gleaming angelically. However, there was a kid next to me and unless I want to be called a deviant, by a kid no less, I'd better not smile. After all, appreciation doesn't always need to have a physical form.

With that said, I'll continue to cherish god's gift to the world, Totsuka, from afar.

It really is a shame that we hadn't been acquainted yet. Well, I could do that after this summer camp.

Then something hit me.

"Wait, if you don't find it fun being around those kids, does that you mean you find it fun around me?"

"Of course not," She responded almost immediately, "I never said anything like that."

"You implied it though."

"I never did."

"You said that you don't find it fun being with them and as a result, you came to me," I spoke in a sagely manner, "Conclusion: You find it fun being around me."

I looked over to see her reaction, but all she did was stop all her actions and turned her face away. Ah crap, she was probably mad. Kids tend to be moody after all. Years of living with Komachi taught me that fact.

"Hachiman."

"Hmm?"

I could see her laying her console down gently on the blanket that we were sitting on. She was getting more polite by the second.

"Why aren't you playing with those guys?" Her eyes pointed towards the imbeciles playing in the river stream (Except for Totsuka and Komachi) and I immediately respond.

"I feel like I would be intruding."

"I see…then," Her gaze landed on me. I responded in kind, "Do you have any friends?"

My eyes widened slightly at her unorthodox question. I honestly expected her to pick up her game and continue playing it but she actually took the initiative in having a conversation. I should say that I was a bit happy for her improvement but right now, I felt a bit weirded out.

As for her question…

"Well…I guess I do."

"You guess?" She looked at me curiously.

"Yeah, I wouldn't say we're friends; we're more like…acquaintances."

Silence settled between us as we continued to observe the raving activities of adolescent youths. I had no qualms about the silence but I did feel a bit put off by Rumi ( _This_ Rumi, anyway) not doing what she would normally be doing.

Deciding to break the ice, I asked.

Or at least, I was planning to.

"Hachiman, are you a loner?"

"Yeah," I answered instantly, "Nothing to be ashamed about."

"I didn't say anything like that…" She muttered under her breath, "So does that mean we're the same?"

Rumi is an interesting girl. For someone with so much insight, she sure likes to ask obvious questions that have obvious answers.

"No."

It was an abrupt and blunt answer, but I shouldn't have to sugarcoat anything anyway. Rumi seems like a headstrong girl so a little bluntness won't hurt her.

Seeing as she was silent, I carried on talking.

"We are different. Our circumstances were different. The people we deal with are different. Our upbringings were different."

I felt like an old man lecturing her like this and her upturned eyes weren't doing a good job of making me feel less like an old man either. It felt like she was looking at me as if I was some sort of mountain hermit, or worse…a teacher.

I mentally shuddered at the thought of dealing with immature children each and every day.

Perhaps, I was being too pessimistic for a kid like her to handle. Then again, she was really cynical yesterday. Not to mention, she does seem mature for her age.

Nevertheless, I did not want to taint a kid's heart. Even if that kid's heart is already a bit rotten.

"You shouldn't take that to heart, you know," Rumi gave me a confused look, prompting me to respond, "You're still in elementary school. That's a good time to do stupid stuff without regretting it, have fun with classmates without worrying."

"I'm not saying that you should get chummy with all of them in an instant but at least, make a friend or an acquaintance that appreciates you…or something like that…"

God, that felt so embarrassing. Why did I just give a monologue to a kid? How old was she? 11? This felt like chuunibyou all over again except this time, I wasn't delusional.

Rumi probably didn't even understand it, considering that blank look on her face.

"…What?"

In response, her face contorted into one of contemplation.

"It's just…it's ironic that you're lecturing me about friendship even though you're completely anti-social."

"Gah!"

Kids are way too smart nowadays. Where are the good old days when kids were naive and innocent? I blame the media for this one.

"But you said I needed to make a friend, yeah?"

Rumi looked at me innocently as she asked this, though I had a dreadful feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Gulping unconsciously, I nodded, "Yeah."

"Then…" She began softly, her eyes locked on to mine. "Why don't you become my friend, Hachiman?"

What the...

How could a logical girl such as her make such a preposterous claim? I certainly didn't expect her to be this desperate. And unless I want to be branded as a lolicon, I was better off not accepting her request at being friends.

"Rumi, just because I said you needed a friend doesn't mean you have to be friends with the nearest person."

 _That's too shallow, even for you._

"But…" She brought one of her hands to her chin, "I can't stand my classmates but I can stand you. Isn't that enough?"

"Look…there are several reasons why that can't happen."

"Like what?" Rumi questioned me almost immediately.

I was a bit taken aback by her eagerness but nonetheless, I was able to compose myself.

"I'm a high school student; you're an elementary school student. The chances of us meeting after this camp is likely none. Plus, people are going to think that I'm shady if I'm hanging out with you."

"Is that a problem?"

"It **is** a problem."

She gave me a half-pout before turning her head away sharply. I scratched my head in confusion at her actions but ultimately decided that deciphering her juvenile messages was a waste of time. Turning back to look at the boisterous bunch in front of me, I leaned back against the tree and let out a big sigh.

Rumi also heaved one out at the same time.

We looked at each other in slight annoyance before averting our gazes from one another. The only noise at the time was the sound of splashing water and leaves shaking in the hot summer wind. And we would've stayed like that for the entire morning too, if not for a certain obnoxious white knight.

"Rumiiiiiiiii-chan!"

Rumi immediately grimaced and made an effort to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Well, considering that she was the only child in the middle of a pack consisting of teenagers, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

The person in question waved his hand in an exaggeratingly cheerful manner so I could see why she was trying to hide from him. It was definitely embarrassing for her to be caught with a guy like that, not saying I was better or anything.

"There you are," Hayama stopped jogging a few meters in front of me, opting to walk instead, "Yukino-chan and I were worried sick about you."

Oh and might I add that he was sporting that annoying prince charming smile?

Rumi made some incomprehensible sounds, curling herself into a ball more and more as Hayama got closer. His gaze went from being on Rumi to suddenly being on me, which was odd.

"I didn't know you and Hikigaya-kun were so close," He stated with a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Must be my dastardly good charms."

"O-Oh…I didn't realize you have those…"

 _Oh, shut it._

It wasn't the content of his remark that pissed me off; it was the tone in which he said it that pissed me off. It was innocent, pure and above all, annoying. Seriously, Hayama, the world can do better without you blabbering.

"Well then, Rumi-chan, shall we go back?" Hayama asked, smiling.

Rumi, on the other hand, wasn't as happy. And I was being careful with my choice of word there. To say that she was emanating an aura of contempt and disdain was an understatement. It felt like if Hayama came any closer, she would bite.

Unfortunately, when he did come closer and bent down to her eye level, she didn't bite him as I had predicted, much to my displeasure.

"Rumi-chan," Hayama began once more, emphasizing the girl's name, "Come on, let's go back."

"…Can't I stay here?"

Hayama's smile momentarily turned into a frown but as the experienced babysitter that he is (He had to be, considering he hangs out with his clique everyday), Hayama immediately concealed his displeasure with a grin.

Classic Hayama.

"Yukino-chan's worried sick, ya know. The least you can do is go see her so she won't have a heart attack."

After a few tense, silent seconds, Rumi merely mumbled:

"Okay…"

The young girl stood up groggily, grabbed her game and dusted herself off. Hayama's smile grew wider at this and he immediately took her hand in preparation of their perilous journey. I watched in disinterest as Rumi turned towards me, her own face sporting a look of indifference.

"Hachiman."

"What?"

"I'll…" She seemed to be hesitating but she pulled through, "I'll come back, okay?"

If I was surprised, then I certainly wasn't showing it. At least, I hoped I didn't. It isn't good for me if I'm flustered by an elementary school kid.

"Yeah, sure…"

And with that, Hayama and Rumi set off on their trip back to ease Yukinoshita's heart. Knowing the current Yukinoshita's personality, she probably searched the entire forest on the other side and probably having an anxiety attack as she did so.

My day had now suddenly become lonelier. Well, not exactly lonelier per se but there wasn't anyone that I could talk to. Even though Rumi isn't even in middle school yet, she was mature for her age and somewhat shares my viewpoints.

And she made a promise to return to me later on.

She never did.

* * *

Can I say that Hiratsuka-sensei is a sensible and responsible teacher that never forgets anything, ever?

Well, if I say that then I would be lying and disrespecting actual sensible and responsible teachers all around Japan. For you see, because she chose to sunbath instead of going over today's actual activities, Hiratsuka-sensei had forgotten to told us that today wasn't actually a free day.

I should've known that we had to do something, considering that this was the second day of summer camp. Ah crap, my memory is getting worse and worse as time passes by.

So what she forgot to tell us was that later in the evening, **we** had to prepare a test of courage for the elementary kids (Something that I should've remembered) and afterwards, there will be a bonfire (Again, something that I should've remembered).

Luckily, those events were all in the evening and therefore, we had ample of amounts of time to prepare for such events.

Unluckily, the resident white knight, our one true Hayama, decided to call for a meeting.

So right now, we were currently in one of the larger rooms in the camp's building, preparing costumes for the aforementioned test of courage. Well, they were, anyway; I didn't want to be a part of such an event.

"Everyone!" All eyes latched onto Miura, whose voice was excessively loud and commanding, "Hayama got, like, something to say here."

Everyone in the room immediately stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on to Hayama, who was muttering 'Thank you' at a very glad Miura. As if the status of their relationship wasn't obvious enough already.

"I'm sure you guys all know about Tsurumi Rumi, right?"

"You mean that lonely girl?" Yuigahama was the first to speak up.

In response, Hayama nodded, "Yeah, exactly. And well, I feel kind of bad for her and I would like to help her make some friends."

"But how though, man?" Tobe piqued in.

And it was at this time that I got a bad feeling in my guts. What was I talking about exactly? In short, Hayama simply smiled at Tobe's question. That was it. He **smiled**.

But it was that one simple smile that made me feel queasy.

"We got a test of courage for the elementary students this evening, right?" Hayama asked, to which everyone nodded (In creepy unison, might I add), "Well, I was thinking of using that to our advantage."

… _Oi, that's eerily similar to my horrible plan._

"But how though, man?" Tobe repeated his earlier question. Seriously, Tobe, I'm sure you can use more than four words.

"A prank."

My ears were suddenly entranced by that single word. A prank? What did he mean by 'a prank'? Surely, he couldn't be thinking about _that_ …

Seeing as some people were confused, Hayama explain, "Basically, we'll use the test of courage to scare them and if I'm correct, they'll band together and that will be the little push they need to become friends. We'll think of how later. Sounds good?"

Immediately, Tobe nodded vigorously, "Yeah, yeah, man. I totally think that they need that little extra nudge, y'know what I'm sayin'?

It was the same plan.

I couldn't really do anything except ball my fist tighter and tighter. Was this what it feels like to be helpless?

As an assurance, Yukinoshita had a doubtful face as well but it soon turned into a cheerful one. Hell, even Yuigahama had a satisfied face. In fact, everyone not named Hikigaya Hachiman had a pleased expression.

Those idiots…

"It won't work."

"Huh?" Hayama turned towards the source of the voice, which was me.

"I said it won't work," I repeated myself, putting a little bit of weight behind my words.

"Hikio, what the hell? If you, like, disagree and stuff, then ya don't have to be rude."

Miura glared at me harshly. I could see why, considering her relationship with Hayama. On the other hand, the boy that she was defending merely gave a strained laugh and waved her off.

"Come on, Yumiko, at least give Hiki…o-kun a chance to explain himself."

He was still smiling. And it wasn't one of those genuine smiles. I could feel the mockery seeping at from that idiot's face.

"I'm saying it won't work," I raised my voice a little, "In fact, it'll make things worse."

"What makes you so sure?" Hayama asked, faux confusion filling his face.

"Do you even know what Rumi is going through?"

"Of course," A smile graced his face, "Rumi-chan is just having a little bit of social anxiety. That's why she can't mak-,"

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm confident in my people reading skills."

"That's just arrogance."

He gave an exhausted shrug, as if indirectly telling me that I was in the wrong.

"Well, what you consider arrogance, I consider confidence. It's in the eyes of the beholder, after all."

The tension in the air was thick; it was so thick that I was having difficulty breathing. The fact that Hayama's supposed friends were glaring at me didn't help either. Hell, I was certain that even Yuigahama was glaring at me.

I got up silently and walked towards the door. Unfortunately, or fortunately I should say, Hayama was directly in front of said door. I took this opportunity to bump into his shoulder, making it seemed as unintentional as possible. Not that it really mattered though; that guy will just smile his way through it anyway.

"Wait-Hikki, where are you going?!"

The frantic voice and footsteps of Yuigahama reached my ears but by that time, I was already at the door. I glanced back and was met with a glares-most of which came from Hayama's clique, which by default, included Yuigahama.

If there was any solace to this however, it was that my sister, Yukinoshita and even Totsuka (For some reason) didn't give me any disdainful looks. Instead, their eyes were filled with pity.

Though, if you had asked me if I was glad to have those three pity me, I would most certainly say:

Not really.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking absentmindedly, I came across a fairly large clearing. There were also a bunch of logs, neatly stacked on top of each other in no discernable fashion. I supposed it must've been for the bonfire later this evening.

Without thinking, I walked over to the pile of logs and stared at it blankly. Then, I began to kick it.

Why did Hayama suggest such a thing? A prank involving Rumi and the others being scared? I know all too well about how it will end up. Even if this is another…universe, this Rumi and the actual Rumi still shares some characteristics. As a matter of a fact, her classmate's and her reactions would most likely be the same.

They would go through the 5 stages of grief; first, they would be in denial about what was happening then they would get angry at one other. Soon, they'll try to bargain and ultimately, they'll get depressed. Acceptance was way out of the question so I should call it the 4 stages of grief instead.

Another kick was planted firmly into the log.

But wait. If this was, in fact, another universe then why should I care? This Rumi is not _my_ Rumi. Komachi isn't _my_ Komachi and as angelic as Totsuka is, he still isn't _my_ Totsuka. You can replace a ship piece by piece each and every day until there is no original ship pieces left but can you still claim that it was the same ship? **[1]**

Answer: No.

I am that last piece of ship waiting to be replaced. Why should I care about what's going to happen to the new pieces? Exactly, I shouldn't. There was no logical reasons as to why I should even dedicate a second to thinking about those guys.

The log trembled slightly as I landed another kick onto it.

Yet as I said this, I couldn't help but wondered why I argued with Hayama. Was it because his smiling face was so punchable? Well, that was one part of the reason but it wasn't the entire thing.

If I was to sum it up in a single word, then that word would be 'Responsibility'.

It's stupid, isn't it? Feeling responsible for something that you didn't do and didn't happen yet was the epitome of pretentiousness. That kind of feeling should belong to white knights such as Hayama who would jump in to help someone without them even requesting help.

One of the log tumbled over as another kick shook the entire log foundation.

Fortunately, that same piece of log was considerably smaller than the other pieces of log that it was put on. But due to its size, it continued rolling and rolling until it hit something.

That something being the small, dainty feet of an elementary school girl.

"What are you doing…?"

"Ah," I stared at her blankly before gazing back at the logs, "I was just…releasing stress."

"That's stupid," Rumi stated offhandedly.

I meant to glare at the girl but the memory of Hayama telling everyone of his stupid plan popped into my mind. So instead of a glare, I merely gave her a blank stare, which garnered her attention, strangely enough.

"…What?"

"Oh, nothing," I turned my attention back to the abused logs in front of me, "So? What are you doing here?"

"To apologize."

"Huh?"

The looks in her eyes weren't telling me much, and this was coming from a guy who had complete mastery over one of the 108 skills of Hachiman: Human observation. She didn't look apologetic as she told me why she was here nor did her tone imply she was apologetic.

Her voice was like one of those text-to-speech programs. Soulless and monotonous.

"I'm talking about what happened in the morning."

"What-,"

Then the realization of her promising to return later in that same morning hit me. For an apathetic kid who reeks of anti-socialness, she sure was sensitive about keeping a promise to a stranger.

 _I appreciate the sentiment…but I don't really care._

"Hayama keep blocking my path and forced me to play with the others," I could see a break in her stoic face as she shuddered slightly, "It was terrible."

"Why didn't you just play your game?"

"It was out of battery."

No wonder she didn't play it during the latter part of our morning conversation. Though, because of this new information, I wondered if she really meant it by asking me to be her friend.

 _Wait, am I seriously worried about an elementary student's feeble attempt at friendship?_

"Oh well, tough luck for you then."

We stayed stationary for about a couple of seconds as I continued to observe the logs that would surely be used to make the bonfire. I had half a mind to build it myself seeing as I had experience in doing such a thing but I had better things to do.

Like figuring out how to lift the veil from everyone's eyes and let them see why Hayama's plan was god awful.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy nor did any plans pop up in my head. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see Rumi looking at me expectantly, which was a bit unnerving. I usually pride myself on being able to withstand the apathetic stares of riajuus and a certain Ice Queen but since Rumi is a loner like I am, her stare's effectiveness multiplied two-no-TENFOLD!

Something about fighting fire with fire, I guess? Though, if that was the case then shouldn't **she** be the one getting unnerved?! Curse the genes of the new generation!

"Rumi, don't you have anything better to do?"

"I don't."

 _An instant reply?!_

"Oi…" I struggled to find the words to describe this girl. At least, the Rumi of my world isn't this pathetic.

"Actually, I was going to look for you."

"For what?"

"For my removal in the test of courage."

"Huh?"

"I won't be having any fun anyway," Rumi explained stoically, "Plus, my game should be recharged by evening."

Then, at that very moment, it was as if a light bulb poofed right above my head, and it shone brightly. So brightly in fact, that my eyes might just have light shining out of them like beacons as well, probably causing a certain Yukinoshita to give out a snarky remark.

But I digress.

"Rumi, what if I tell you that there's something more interesting than your game during the test of courage?"

"What?"

I smirked slightly at her response

You see, a loner's motto is that he helps everyone by staying out of everyone's way. Loners would purposefully go out of their way to take another route just so they won't have an awkward confrontation with someone. If someone had an embarrassing moment, you can be sure that loners would immediately get out of sight as to lessen the number of witnesses to said embarrassing moment.

Hayama, however, is a special case.

In a hallway, his presence would be so overwhelming that no matter how much you try to avoid him, you can't. You wouldn't be able to get out of everyone's way because he'll get you involved with everyone, even if you refuse to do so.

But I'm not peeved about that, far from it. It was Hayama's audacity to tell us of his harebrained plan that, for the lack of a better word, pissed me off. It also didn't help that his clique members decided to ride his bandwagon of social superficiality.

Under normal circumstances, going out of my way just to sabotage someone's plan and embarrass them would totally go against my social principles.

…Yeah, well, not really.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set by the time I returned to the room where everyone was gathered. It couldn't be helped after all. I had to explain to Rumi what the 'interesting thing' was and after that, I took the liberty to build the bonfire by myself.

Someone had to do it after all.

When I had opened the door, most of the inhabitants in that very room didn't seem to notice that I was there nor did they looked like they were dejected that I left. It was fine though, I didn't mind it that much. When asked why I was back here, considering that I left with some harsh remarks, I merely told them that I calmed myself down and finally understood the light of our one true messiah, Hayama Hayato.

…Fine, that might have been embellished just a little bit but you get the idea.

So, after preparing the costumes and a short briefing session about Hayama's plan to bring about more friends to Rumi's side, we were dispatched by Hiratsuka-sensei to our various posts in the forest. Yes, even the ones not in costumes, because she was afraid of the kids getting lost.

Seriously, sensei, this is the 21st century. Kids have cellphones nowadays, you know.

It seemed that the other supervisors had taken the time to decorate the path in the forest. And by decorate, I meant lazily hanging skulls, fake cobwebs and hair onto trees, completed with ominous lighting which I think supposed to represent spirits of sorts.

I didn't really care that much as I waded through the branches and leaves before finally arriving at my destination. The other members of Hayama's clique, namely Yuigahama, Tobe and Miura, were already there, waiting directly on the forest's path while I hid behind some bushes. It would take about a minute, give or take, for the second to last group of students to finish their test of courage.

Of course, the last group was Rumi and her classmates.

Hayama already anticipated this. Even if he didn't, he probably pulled some strings to do so anyway. I didn't mind; it made everything easier. As mentioned before, his plan was eerily similar to mine, right down to the execution.

Miura, Tobe and Yuigahama were already waiting at their designated spots. They will be the main contributors to the plan; so to speak, by scaring the kids and 'coercing' them to band together and become friends…or so said Hayama. The man himself would interfere if anything went wrong, which was very likely or rather, it was inevitable that something wrong will happen.

Speaking of which, Hayama was supposed to be where I was currently situated by he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't mind it as I actually enjoy the ambience of the forest. Well, I did enjoy it until something or someone screamed right behind me.

"Waaaaaaaah!"

I whipped my head around in an instant and was poised to run in case of an emergency. Instead of one though, I laid my eyes on a good-looking figure wearing a pure white kimono.

"Yukinoshita, it's me," I said, raising my hands up in a submissive manner.

She got one hand over her chest as it rose up and down steadily. "O-Oh, I thought you were a ghost or something…aha…"

 _Rude._

I didn't notice it the first time around but as I got a good look at her, I realized that she wasn't wearing any glasses. And considering that she was sporting the same snow woman cosplay as the Yukinoshita of my world, I felt a strange yet comforting sense of nostalgia.

As she crouched near me, I asked.

"Where are your glasses?"

"Oh," She subconsciously touched her own face, "Ebina-san took them away from me, citing that they were too 'stiff-looking'."

Yukinoshita let out a sigh afterward.

"Can you even see clearly?"

"It's okay. I have contact lenses on, though I must admit that they are a bit uncomfortable…" Yukinoshita fidgeted nervously for a while before standing up, "Maybe I should go get my glasses."

"You don't have to, you know. You look better without glasses anyway."

 _Like, seriously, what kind of snow woman wear glasses?_

"E-Eh…thank you…"

The snow woman in question covered her own face awkwardly. Silence was our only companion as Yukinoshita went deafly silent. I honestly expect that kind of behavior to come from Yuigahama but the real Yuigahama was currently standing in front of me, playing with her phone.

Oh, reality's a cruel mistress.

"Hello, sorry I'm late. I had to finish up a few things."

Both Yukinoshita and I turned around and were greeted by a smiling visage. It was Hayama in all of his prince-y glory.

He crouched down near me before saying-or rather, whispering-something to me.

"They should come at any moment now; you remember the plan, right?"

Ah yes, the plan. The plan that was concocted up in mere minutes. The plan that shouldn't and couldn't have any flaws. Oh, and there was also Hayama's plan which had as much holes in it as a tennis racket.

That was fine though. All the more reasons my plan will succeed.

Footsteps filled our ears as all three of us crouched ever so lower behind the bush. Soon enough, the group of 4 kids and Rumi came into our sight. Immediately, the scene in front of me unfolded just like how I remember.

"Whaaaat?" One kid whined, "Those high school students aren't even in costumes."

"I know, right?" Another piqued in, "For high school students, they sure are dumb."

They then shared a hearty laugh. Well, they did anyway until Miura stepped right in front of them.

"Hah? Did you just, like, make fun of us?"

I could feel some of the kids freezing up. Perfect, it was all going according to plan.

"We aren't exactly your friends, ya know."

Now it was Tobe's turn to chime in, "Y'know, I bet y'all think we're retarded or something, yeah?"

"N-No, it was just…" One of the girls muttered softly.

"Yuiiiiii, what should be we do with these runts?" Miura asked, seemingly towards nothing until a fearsome figure approached from the darkness, one hand in her pocket while the other held her phone. As a clicking sound signaled her phone shutting down, the air around us change. It was chillier, sinister and above all, tense.

 _Why the hell is she so scary?!_

"Look, we're gonna be nice adults here and give you a chance. Either one of you stays or all of you stay."

Ah yes, the old 'All for one and one for all' philosophy. Even though it's just an excuse for one lazy person to rely on a group of people, Hayama still truly believed in it. In fact, he believed in it so much that he was willing to bet on the girls' friendship to pull them through.

"Yuka, you go. You were the one that said it."

What an idiot.

"E-EH?! You were the one that started it, Hitomi!"

What a stupid idiot.

"This would've happened if Mori stopped you! She's your best friend, isn't she?!"

"Please stop!"

The conglomerate of voices filled the forest. It was a miracle that no one came to check on us. But despite the ensemble of noises, Hayama still hadn't made a move. He must've really believed in these students' thin shell of superficial relationship.

How pathetic.

"Don't you guys realize that this is a prank?" A lone voice of reason spoke up, "It's nothing more than something they came up with to trick us."

Everyone turned their head towards Rumi, even Yuigahama and co.

"Rumi-chan, what are you saying?!" One of her classmates spoke in hushed whisper.

"I'm saying that we're not in danger. They're just pretending," Rumi replied with no hesitation.

Everyone had a look of confusion on their faces. Yuigahama looked in my general direction for some reason even though she couldn't have known where I was hiding. Stealth Hikki was failing for some reason….

"Hikigaya-san, how does Rumi-chan know this?" Yukinoshita whispered to me.

I merely shrugged my shoulders, "Who knows?"

Somehow, Rumi knew about Hayama's plan to prank her and her classmates. Surely, such information couldn't be leaked. Well, I lied. It could.

I could feel pairs of eyes staring at me, particularly from one of my side but I chalked that up to me feeling queasy.

"Rumi, stop it, they'll get mad," One of the girls tried to plea with Rumi but in response, Rumi merely scoffed.

"Come on, guys, they can't hurt us. If they do, then they'll get in trouble."

But instead of backing up, Yui persisted in her role as the bully.

"Look, kid, I'm tryin' to be reasonable here," Yui put on her best dumb bully voice, "Either one of you stay or-,"

"Or what?" Rumi fired back, "If you hurt us then we'll just tell our teacher."

Even from a distance, I could sense Yuigahama's patience whittling down at Rumi's comment. Perfect. She was cracking down.

But then, in a twist of event, Yuigahama kicked a nearby tree trunk, causing Rumi and her classmates to visibly wince in fear.

"Tell me, brat, if you scream in the forest and no one's around to hear you, did you really scream?"

Shit. Shit. SHIT.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Not one bit. Rumi was supposed to get her snarky comments in and Yuigahama would silently give up because that's how it's supposed to be right?! And why was Rumi freezing up? Shouldn't she be spouting off sarcastic remarks left and right?!

 _Hang in there, Rumi!_

"I-I…" Rumi whimpered but couldn't get any words out.

"Rumi-chan, why did you say that?!" One girl spoke up.

"N-No, I was just-,"

"Yeah! Why did you have to make things worse? You're always like that!" Another one chimed in.

Rumi looked at her classmates in disarray and confusion. Her lips and eyes were quivering in fear.

This was obviously not going to be a happy ending so I turned to Hayama who had his eyes glued on to the scenario before him.

"Hayama, shouldn't you stop them?"

There were a few seconds filled with silence before he finally answered, "No, I'm sure they'll pull through."

"Hayama!"

"Hikigaya-kun, just give them time."

"Tch."

I knew the obvious outcome if I didn't do anything.

I could obviously just stay where I was and let the scene unfolding in front of me happen. I could just let Rumi deal with it on her own and possibly causing her to be ostracized even more.

But I didn't.

I know all too well what would happen if I didn't do anything. So, I leaped out from the bush with no regards for my safety and the result?

I landed squarely on my face.

 _Curse you, laws of physics!_

It took a few seconds but I ultimately got up. When I did, I could feel everyone, and I mean everyone, staring at me. In the most nonchalant manner that I could act, I stood up, brushed myself off and said the magic words.

"You got punk'd…"

I admit, it wasn't my proudest proclamation nor was it the most appropriate but it did ease the tension…somewhat.

"Jeez, Hikki, the plan's all ruined now!" Yuigahama shouted exasperatingly.

"Man, Hikio, can't you, like, wait?"

"Yeah, come on, Hikitani-kuuun!"

I didn't mind being reprimanded. That meant the attention was focused on me and not Rumi. Speaking of Rumi, she looked absolutely mortified. It was like her life has been sucked out or something.

Finally, the main man himself, Hayama, popped out of the bush with a graceful smile adorning his face.

"Aha…we were planning to mix up the test of courage tradition but it seemed that it's kinda ruined now…"

I was impressed at how he came up with a story on the spot. It was inoffensive and good enough that the kids didn't question it.

Within seconds, the 4 kids that were cowering in fear quickly rushed to Hayama and hugged his legs.

In a gentlemanlike voice, he spoke, "Come on, girls. Let's go back. We have a bonfire to attend to after all."

With sniffles and hiccups, the girls agreed and lagged behind Hayama as he led them back towards the main camp area. Yuigahama, Miura, Tobe and Yukinoshita followed suite, with the latter looking back at me as if asking me if I was okay.

I simply nodded.

The reason I didn't follow them was simple. A small hand was latched to my shirt. The kid that the hand belonged had her bangs covering her eyes so I couldn't tell how she was feeling.

"Hachiman…" Her small voice squeaked out.

"Hmm?" I crouched to her eye level.

In one swift motion, she closed the gap between us and bury her head into my shoulders, her cries muffled by my shirt.

"Y-Your friend's scary…"

"I know, right?"

"Your plans…suck."

"I know…"

"…I hate summer camp."

I didn't reply, opting to bask in the silence and Rumi's erratic sobbing instead.

Honestly, I should have expected this outcome. I had nobody to blame but myself for putting her in this situation. It doesn't matter if she's a loner or not. It definitely doesn't matter if she has an air of maturity around her or not.

Because at the end of the day, Tsurumi Rumi is still just an elementary school student.

* * *

The rising of the new sun signaled one important thing.

The summer camp is finally over.

It was a very different sensation from last night. Everyone was happy, smiling and a bit sad that their youthful summer camp was ending. Well, except for Rumi.

After the test of courage fiasco last night, I escorted Rumi towards the bonfire where everyone was already setting up for dances around the bonfire.

As expected, Rumi spent the majority of the night alone, playing her game until I sat next to her. Even so, we didn't speak so much as a word to each other as we continued to watch couples, both teenagers and kids, dancing and lighting fireworks.

How nice.

I didn't confront Hayama on what happened as that would lead to more questions than answers which were the last thing that I needed that night.

The kids got to go back to their homes first as we, the 'volunteers', had to stay behind and clean up. It took a lot of effort to do so without interacting with Hayama. When we were done, Hayama and his clique got to go back first for god knows what reason.

Though Hiratsuka-sensei mentioned that she preferred if the Service Club rode in one car.

Weirdly enough, Yukinoshita didn't go with Hayama as she was the last one to load her stuff into Hiratsuka-sensei's car. She looked different, somehow, even though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The ride was rather peaceful. I was, once again, relegated to the front seat by Hiratsuka-sensei's own request. We arrived at Sobu high school quite quickly and it was then that I noticed what Yukinoshita had change.

"Yukinoshita, where's your glasses?"

Once again, she touched her own face, "A-Ah, well, I was thinking about…trying out contact lenses…Do I look weird?"

I felt a bit of heat rushing to my face, "Not really…"

"Alright," Sensei began, "I hope you enjoyed the camp."

 _I didn't…_

"But remember, stay safe and stay healthy. Dismissed!"

I started to walk. Then a strange sense of déjà vu hit me. Something rather important was supposed to happen right then and there.

I didn't have to wait long as a black limousine completed with an angel headpiece thing. I immediately realized what was going to happen and took a step back.

I half-expected Yuigahama to ask me why but she didn't. Her whole posture was stiff and so was Yukinoshita's.

The car's window lowered, revealing the face that I had been avoiding. Except, unlike last time, she just sat there in her limo like a little princess.

With a sly smile and an annoying voice, she opened her mouth.

"Hello, Yukino-chan!"

"Nee-san…"

"Ah, hello to you too, Shizuka-chan and Hikigaya-kun!"

"Nee-san, what are you doing here?"

"To pick you up, y'knoooow," Haruno replied, "Oh and I wanted to go shopping with you for a bit."

"O-Oh…"

"If you want, Hikigaya-kun, you can come with us too, y'know!"

I stepped back even more and luckily, she noticed that.

"Well, it's fine if you don't want to," With a well-practiced smile, she continued, "You're welcomed to hang out with us anytime!"

 _Pff, not in this universe._

Yukinoshita looked back at me and Yuigahama guiltily before bowing roughly and hurrying into her limousine. We watched quietly as it drove away into the sunset.

Yuigahama didn't ask me any question. It was better this way as the Yuigahama of this universe seemed sensitive and bringing up _that_ topic would be detrimental to the both of us. Without any more words exchanged, we soon left to our respective homes.

Since I was a loner with an abundant amount of summer days left, I expected to spent it all by my lonesome.

I also expected to never see Yukinoshita nor Yuigahama again in the summer.

Oh, how wrong I was.

* * *

 **[1]: Theseus's Ship Paradox.**

 **Finally, the summer camp arc is over. I promise that the next arc would focus more on the trio. Until then, see ya.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Salty notes: To be honest, this chapter should've come out at least 2 or 3 weeks earlier, but alas, my laptop decided to swerve me by denying me access to the word document that I had been working on. After moping around for a bit, I rewrote 'everything' and the result was a longer chapter. I hope that this long chapter doesn't turn you guys away.**

 **With that salt out of the way, enjoy as I had a fun time 're:writing'(eh?) this.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Their Summer Finally Comes To An End**

It was the second to last day of summer and it was hot. Terribly so. So hot in fact that someone might be delusional enough to think that they got dragged back into the middle of summer, where the glaring sun burned anything its light touched.

Of course, I wasn't one of those delusional people. I mean, that would be ludicrous, wouldn't it?

Due to my fatigue, I had taken the liberty to reward myself by sleeping in. I didn't actually know what the current time was but I didn't care anyway. It could be noon or even evening; I just didn't care.

The bed was soft and warm, causing me to snuggle deeper into it. Add to that fact that today was Saturday and you got an extremely listless Hachiman. Honestly, I would've slept in all day if it wasn't for the nagging sound of…something penetrating my ears.

I squinted and thought that the sound was coming from my alarm clock. With my mostly limited vision, I tried to reach for it. Keyword: Try.

But it was just too far away from me. It was then that I decided to exert a little bit more effort into getting the clock, by moving my body just a little to give my arm that extra reach it needed.

I failed horribly.

I mean, I got the clock but the immutable law of gravity had to bring me down to the cold, hard floor.

And so, as I lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling fan going round and round, I came to a conclusion. Actually, two conclusions.

One, why should I even care about the noise? Once my brain shut itself down to allow me to sleep, then it will also block out the sound.

Two, why the hell were there still noises? I had gotten the clock already. Shouldn't silence reign supreme once more?

It was hard to gather enough energy to pull my body up but I somehow managed to do so, despite the sweats pouring down my forehead.

I half-expected to encounter a surprise party of sorts, considering that my birthday was in this very month. But I soon remembered that August 8th passed a long time ago. I sighed and continued my trek downstairs.

As I got closer, the noise got impossibly louder. It wasn't until I went into the living room that I found out where the noise was coming from and an unexpected guest to boot.

It was a girl with obnoxious pink hair.

Where did she come from, you might wonder.

Well, obviously, she came from the depths of hell itself to ransack on my already limited supplies of food. Not only that, but she had the gall to open up one of my rare cup noodles and feast on it like she owned it in the first place!

Komachi, you were supposed to defend this place, not welcome the enemy into it!

I stayed stationary for a solid minute, deciding what moves to take in order to not enrage the beast in front of me. While pink is normally associated with cuteness and innocence, I couldn't help but think that pink will be the color of my blood if I pisses her off.

This stalemate was unbearable. I would like to think that it was the same for her but evidently, it was just me feeling the tension. The girl herself wasn't even facing towards me; she was sitting comfortably on the couch, occasionally eating from the cup noodle, which I bought.

Then as if the gods themselves felt my desperation, they sent help in a form of a demon of a little sister. In hindsight, she felt like a savior only due to my desperation.

"Yuigahama-san, I got sandwiches!" Komachi proclaimed proudly, wearing a large grin.

Yuigahama only grunted approvingly in response.

Komachi was about to walk about to the demon sitting on the couch, but she locked eyes with me along the way. A grin made itself onto her face as she continued to stare at me.

I quickly rushed over to her before whispering sharply.

"Why the hell did you let her in? And why is she eating my rare cup noodle?"

Komachi laughed nervously, "Come on, Onii-chan, it's not like that single cup cost 800 yen or something…"

I gave her a sharp glare.

"Oh crap, you're serious…" I glared even harder, "But come on, it's just a cup ramen, and I even made sandwiches for you, see?!"

She proudly showed off her handmade sandwiches, which admittedly, looked quite delicious. I didn't let my solid façade slip though. That would further fan the fire of Komachi's ego even more.

But then in a complete flip, Komachi's eyes were suddenly filled with a mischievous glint, something that would be better suited for a certain foxy underclassman.

I was about to turn heel and leave the living room but her sweet voice ensnared me.

"Onii-chan, won't you be a dear and carry these lovely sandwiches over to Yui-san?" She said with a sickeningly sweet voice and an equally sweet smile.

"Why can't you do it?"

Without giving a rational answer, she just shoved the tray full of sandwiches into my open arms and run off towards the kitchen area, claiming that she'll make me 'coffee'.

Pfft, silly Komachi, you don't even know how to operate a kettle.

But all things considered, I still had a tray full of sandwiches on hand and Yuigahama was still feasting on the cup ramen that I bought, so it would probably take her a while to finish that, leaving me with ample time to feast on these sandwiches instea-

Never mind, she was already finished and had begun to stare blankly at the TV.

I gave out a defeated sigh before walking over to place down the tray. It was a lucky coincidence that Yuigahama happened to be sitting at one end of the couch and since our couch is rather large, that left me with a huge amount of space.

Using that logic, I decided to sit at the opposite end.

Both of us hadn't touched the sandwiches ever since I set it down. Instead, the room was filled with mostly silence as the only noise came from the TV. It was a sports show or something like that so I didn't know why she was interested in it.

Not that I cared though.

So in an attempt to alleviate my boredom, I decided to focus on whatever was on the TV. Perhaps I could even ask her why she was here.

But that plan almost immediately fell apart as Yuigahama was the one that initiate our conversation.

"Hikki," She called out to me softly, "Are you even watching the TV?"

"Not really."

"Then why are you staring at it so hard? Seriously, it's like, super weird."

"Ah, shut it," I replied apathetically, "Anyway, why are _you_ here? Don't you have better things to do?"

"Like what?"

"What about Sable?"

"Sab-who?"

Strange. Yuigahama would often be gung-ho about her dog, but if she does have no dog then what caused my accident? I'm sure the latter exists since Hiratsuka-sensei talked about it just before summer.

"Your dog?"

"I don't have a dog."

"What about a cat?"

"Eww, I hate those. Besides, owning pets is, like, for kids and stuff."

 _You apologize to my family! And Kamakura!_

"So…why did you come here again?"

I heard a small scoff before the sound of ruffling fabric filled my ears. Yuigahama was lifting up her legs and hugging her knees; something very out of character and surprisingly…not-unattractive for her.

"Komachi-chan invited me." She uttered her reason with finality as if expecting me to not question her afterwards.

"Since when did you two become so chummy?" I retorted at her illogical response.

"Since the acci-," Yuigahama then suddenly turned towards me, her face scrunched up in annoyance, "It doesn't matter, okay?! It's just girls' things!"

I was about to press her on even further but the sudden realization that a pillow was flying my way came over me and I expertly caught the projectile thrown by Yuigahama with my face.

As our gazes met, she avoided meeting my eyes as she turned away sharply, letting out a loud 'Hmph!' in the process of doing so. I could never understand my world's Yuigahama. This Yuigahama is even more of a pain.

My world huh…

It had been over 42 days since I had found out that I was in the wrong place. I didn't really count the number of days but it felt that long even if it hadn't even been a month yet.

Even though I said 'I was in the wrong place', it wasn't exactly the _wrong_ place. It was more akin to this place not being mine. Despite the fact that everything here belonged to me, it wasn't mine. And that thought scares me.

Even this delinquent-looking girl sitting next to me wasn't the girl that I'm used to. The dichotomy between this fake and the real Yuigahama's personality constantly put me off. So much so that I considered asking my parents to change my school, or perhaps, convince them to let me be a mountain hermit, preferably on Mount Fuji.

If they were actually home.

"Hey…Hikki," An impossibly feminine voice attracted my attention. It was soft and sweet like cotton candy and if anyone saw the person who said it, they might as well assume it was a cotton candy personified.

Well, considering that there is only a single person who calls me by that stupid nickname, I wasn't surprised to find out that Yuigahama was trying to talk to me.

I almost responded in kind but the moment I turned to her, my jaws locked into a perpetual gape and my eyes significantly widened.

"Don'tcha think it's kinda hot?" Yuigahama commented offhandedly while she tried to futilely fan herself by moving her shirt back and forth.

It was important to remember that Yuigahama was wearing a very slack and very loose t-shirt. Coupled with extreme heat, it made it seems even looser.

And due to that specific property, my eyes were treated to an extremely wonderful sight. Right in front of me was the bounty of all bounties. Hell, I'd wager that it'd even put the One Piece to shame!

But nay, I shan't be swayed by mere materialistic bounties. For the true bounty lies in the rare smile of Totsuka, even if we hadn't met yet.

…at least, that was what I'd like to say but I'm a teenage boy with teenage hormones and it was getting considerably harder to tear my eyes away from Yuigahama's bounties. Newton's 4th law was strangely powerful.

Eventually though, due to sheer will and loyalty to Totsuka, I'd managed to look at the other side of the room and away from Yuigahama. I'd even covered my face with one of my hands for safety precaution.

"Y-Yeah, maybe the fan's broken or something," Immediately after saying that, I realized how stupid I sounded since the 'broken' fan was whirring away above our heads like there was no tomorrow.

I expected to get called out by Yuigahama but surprisingly, she just looked at me meekly before chuckling nervously.

"Maybe you're right…" Yuigahama uttered as she continued to briskly move her shirt back and forth.

"I'll take a look at the…fan," Seriously, was she playing dumb? Was she in cahoots with Komachi? What if the moment I go take a look at the fan's controls, Komachi jumps out and surprises me?!

I left the couch swiftly, intending to alleviate the hate and subsequently, the awkwardness that had spawned because Yuigahama just had to show off her Two Pieces.

But my quest for the fan's controls was soon stopped by the sight of an angry ferret peeking at from behind the kitchen area's wall.

No, that wasn't right. That angry ferret was my little sister, Komachi.

I could tell that she had a pissed off expression on her face. Hell, I'd bet that anyone can tell she was pissed off. Reason? I didn't know. Women work in mysterious ways.

Because I noticed her, Komachi decided that it was useless to hide any longer and stopped hiding behind a wall. She walked out with another tray. This time, three cups of barley tea were on it.

"I'm disappointed." She muttered, obviously frustrated.

"Why?"

"You didn't do _it._ " Was her simple response. Her brows were still furrowed together in a show of rage but since she didn't elaborate on what I didn't do, I asked her.

"Do what?"

"…IT!"

Why was my sister speaking in cryptic dialogues? Was she actually a really bad kid at school? Why was so angry at something I didn't do?

"And why did you bring barley tea? I thought you'd make coffee," I said as my eyes were drawn to the cups filled with tea.

In a sudden yet not completely unexpected 180 turn in personality, Komachi laughed awkwardly as she showed me that toothy grin once more.

"Come on, Onii-chan~" Her smile was unbearable, piercing even, "You know little ol' Komachi here isn't good with coffee maker."

She even struck her tongue out in an attempt of a half-assed Hikigaya-head-bonking pose. Too bad she didn't do the actual head bonking because if she did, I would've forgiven her. Somewhat.

"Whatever."

Before long Komachi and I returned to the couch, where Yuigahama was still lazing about, hugging her knees and staring at the TV. Once again, I sat at the opposite end of the couch while Komachi decided to sit in the middle, effectively shielding me from any of Yuigahama's attacks.

The sandwiches were still as I've left them. Yuigahama didn't touch a single one. In fact, it was Komachi who was the first one to consume her own treats as the other two people in the room, namely Yuigahama and I, just sort of lounged around nervously.

"Onii-chan," Komachi spoke up, still chewing her food.

"What? And don't talk with your mouth full."

My ever adorable little sister stopped to do what her wonderful brother told her to do before speaking up once more.

"You know what's happening today?" I could almost see her bouncing up and down with enthusiasm as she asked that very question.

"Not really."

A pout.

An adorable pout unlike another was my response.

I didn't find it too annoying.

"Jeez, it's the summer festival, you dumb-dumb!"

"Oh, is that it?"

It wasn't like summer festivals are rare. It is called 'summer' festival after all, and considering that summer won't stop just because we graduate from high schools, Komachi was very irrational in her worship of this 'summer' festival.

"And it just so happens that's there a certain, one of a kind plush sold there. So won't you be a dear and go buy it for me, Onii-chan?"

A smile was her only payment for my possible future journey to the festival. Not that I particularly minded though but it seemed rather cheap.

"No way," Her smile immediately turned sour, "It's stupid that a limited edition plush is being sold at a local festival."

"But it is! I have sources! Sources!" Komachi rebutted rather loudly, forcing me to wince at the volume of her voice.

"Even so, I'm not going to waste my time doing something unproductive." I replied sagely.

"You? Doing something productive?" Komachi retorted with a blank stare.

"Oh, shut it."

"So you'll go?"

"No way."

I heard something akin to that of a giggle but when I turned towards the source of that melodious voice, I could only see Yuigahama turning away from my stare and Komachi glaring at me. It must've been my mind playing tricks on me again.

"Onii-chan," Komachi spoke up once more with her sweet voice again, "You know how I'm going to be in high school soon?"

"Yeah?" I had a bad feeling about her inquiry.

"So you also know that I'm a growing girl," She made a fair point, "And it just so happens that this growing body of mine craves some…festival okonomiyaki."

 _Never mind, she's just trying to lure me with her sweet promises again._

"So won't you be a dear and go buy those for me? Preferably at a festival."

I've already been fooled once by that same, toothy grin so I won't be fooled ever again. No matter how cute you may be, you can't fool a Hachiman twice. Fool me once, shame on you. Try to fool me twice, still shame on you.

"Why at a festival? I'm sure you buy some at stores. Heck, I'm sure some of them even deliver straight to your house." I stated my perfectly logical, hole-less argument.

"But it won't have the festival feels!" Was her illogical retort.

"Not my problem. And also, eating okonomiyaki late at night? Isn't that too much?"

From the corners of my eyes, I noticed that Komachi was getting visibly irritated and it was further proved when she made a, quite frankly cute, pout before turning away with an audible 'Hmph!'.

I let out one of the many sighs that I'll be giving out today. That's probably the only thing I'll give back to the environment. My wonderfully melancholic sighs. Cherish it, Mother Nature.

Sinking into the couch from our exchange, I failed to notice that Komachi was already back to scheming with her whispering suspicious things to Yuigahama and all. I swore I could see Yuigahama nodding along quite enthusiastically.

I tried my best to not focus on them but it was hard. Like extremely hard, considering that Yuigahama's nods were getting more vigorous and try as one might, you can't just ignore someone's brilliant display of enthusiasm. Even if that display was bound to blind you from its brightness.

"Onii-chan," Komachi started talking again with the same words, "Did you finish your summer homework yet?"

My little sister actually being concerned about my academic life? Impossible! Ludicrous! But then again, she might be trying to lead me on.

"Already did those wretched things last week."

"Is that so? Well then, you have time to go to the summer festival, don't you?"

"I'd rather spend my time enjoying my precious summer."

 _Or what's left of it anyway._

"Awww, really? It's a shame you can't go then," Komachi surprisingly agreed with me, even though her mannerisms implied something else.

She then turned towards Yuigahama, who looked like she was waiting for that exact action.

"Then Yui-san, you can go right?"

Once again, Yuigahama nodded with much gusto, prompting Komachi to also nod sagely.

It was at that very moment that I knew…I had played right into Komachi's hands.

"But it would be suuuuuuuuuuper dangerous for a girl like you to go alone at night, right?" Even though I was tired, I could still spot Komachi giving me knowing glances, as if telling me that my time has come.

Just like last time, Yuigahama's response was a simple yet vigorous nod.

"Sooooooo," My conniving little sister turned to me. I knew it! She was planning something! "Wouldn't it be great if a certain someone accompany her? Someone like…my totally not useless Onii-chan?"

"Oi."

"I mean, come on, Onii-chan," She extended her arms out, as if welcoming a hug, "If you go, I'll give you one of my special Komachi hugs, y'know!"

I snickered, "As if I would want one. You'll probably do a bear hug on me and choke me out, right? Plus, Yuigahama can defend herself. Hell, she can probably take out a guy twice her size."

The tension in the room suddenly thickened tenfold. The source of it was quite easy to find. Despite her smiling visage and her welcoming arms, Komachi was anything but happy. This could be seen even further when she had her arms sloppily and slowly dropped to her sides, her face still contorted into a smile.

Then just like Sadako **[1]** , she slowly crawled towards me. Not like a cat but a predator stalking its prey. I admit; I had even backed away from her but since the couch's armrest was behind me, I couldn't get far enough.

"Onii-chan," She stared me straight in the eyes as her smile was still plastered on her adorable little face, "Just because a woman can fight, doesn't mean she wants to."

I was about to give a well thought out response but all of that vanished when Komachi's smile dropped and she began cracking her forefinger with her thumb.

 _What's next?! Asking me what's 1000-7_ _ **[2]**_ _? Impossible! My Little Sister can't be this Ghoulish!_ _ **[3]**_

"So…you will go…won't you?"

It took all of my strength to not squeak out a wimpy response. Scratch that, I shouldn't be embarrassed. Komachi was way too scary for a little sister. No normal middle schooler should exude this amount of malice.

"…yes."

In a blink of an eye, Komachi's threatening glare turned into a delightful smile as she backed away from me, giving me some space to breathe.

"I knew you'd come around, Onii-chan!" Komachi exclaimed cheerfully, her face filled with glee.

 _It's not like you'd threatened me or anything…_

"Also, there are fireworks so you don't have to hurry at all! In fact, take all the time you need!"

"Doesn't that contradict with you wanting okonomiyaki as fast as possible? Eating that thing late at night is…redundant, y'know."

Komachi waved off my concerns, "Details, details. You'll never live a happy life if you're so pedantic, y'know."

"Huh…"

I legitimately didn't have a response for her so called reassurance. Well, they did say that it's hard to win an argument against a smart person but even harder against a stupid person.

Though I didn't want to say this, the Komachi of this world is kind of…stupid. Not my Komachi though! My Komachi is perfect, flawless and above all, smart!

After our brief exchange, everything went silent, saved for whatever program was on TV serving as our background noise. Yuigahama just kept on staring at the screen blankly while Komachi mindlessly consumed her sandwiches and tea. I, on the other hand, tried my best to not feel out of place as possible.

That was soon proved to be impossible though as:

One. I had nothing to do at the moment.

Two. I hadn't taken a bath.

Three. The awkwardness looming in the air was thick. Too thick.

And thus, like any appropriate gentleman would do, I excused myself from the presence of two (not) fair ladies and promptly headed up to my humble place of refuge, namely, my room.

After having a quick shower, I plopped on my most comfortable t-shirt and promptly allowed myself to feel the soft embrace of my bed once more.

And as I stared up at the ceiling fan spinning ever so smoothly, a realization hit me.

This day was already off to an extremely crappy start.

I heaved out one of the biggest sighs that I could manage before slipping into the wonderful realm of dreams.

* * *

Because I didn't get the chance to eat breakfast, I was soon woken up by my grumpy stomach, begging me to shove something down into it. I obliged by my son's request as I headed downstairs to grab a bite or two.

It turned out that I woke up exactly at lunchtime. However, I braced myself for disappointment as I approached the kitchen area. This Komachi doesn't know how to cook anything at all, maybe except for instant noodle but still, if that's all she can cook then I might as well cook.

What I came upon in the kitchen left my jaw hanging.

Lavish dishes with names that I didn't know lined up the table. A bowl filled with steaming rice was waiting for me. It wasn't exactly a feast per se but anything is a feast when you eat instant-everything every day.

Komachi was waiting at the table, eating in a very docile manner. I was worried that she was going to lash out at me but when she didn't, I seized the chance to feast on the various delicacies.

The moment I bit into one of the cooked fish, I knew that there was no chance in hell that Komachi made this.

It actually tasted like an honest-to-goodness homemade meal, something that mom would probably makes and it would be filled with the warmth of motherly compassion.

So if Komachi didn't make this, who did?

"Komachi, did you cook all of this?"

She looked at me with wide confused eyes, "No way. You know I can't cook."

"Then…who?"

"If you must know, it's Yui-san. She insists on doing it as repayment for staying over…even though she left right after."

Yui? As in the Yuigahama Yui?

Impossible. I know for certain that the Yuigahama of this universe can cook but to do so out of charity? I found that hard to believe

"Then why did she make so much?" I asked, even though I was stuffing my face with food.

"You didn't have breakfast, right?" Komachi pointe d a chopstick at me in question. I nodded, "Well, she thought of that and made you extras."

Before I could get out a response, not that I had any, Komachi slammed her hands on the table harshly, shaking some of the silverware and dishes in the process.

"So you'd better be a good escort to her this evening, okay?!"

She was glaring at me again. Oh god, she was glaring at me again!

A small nod was my only response and apparently, it also calmed down Komachi as she sat back down and began eating in a civilized manner again.

After finishing lunch relatively quickly (Since I _was_ hungry after all), I got a message from none other than Yuigahama herself, citing the time and location of our meeting.

Which was really strange, considering that Komachi was the one that brought up the topic of us going to the festival so shouldn't she be the one to tell me that?

I chalked it up to Komachi just being in cahoots with Yuigahama and they'll probably prank me or something.

After needlessly analyzing why my sister would prank her very own brother, I decided to take a nap. It couldn't hurt to do so, right? After all, the festival would take place in the evening therefore I had plenty of time to myself.

It wasn't long before I lost myself and fell victim to the dreamscape once more. Rather, I had been blessed as I'd remembered that dream very well.

It was a wonderland. A true wonderland, filled with MAX coffee fountain, MAX coffee river and most importantly…

Wild Totsukas!

Sure, we weren't acquainted in this world, though that could easily be fixed, but the sight of a couple hundred Totsukas looking at you innocently could not be described. It was majestic, glorious, heart thumping…

 _Quick! We need a new word to describe Totsuka's mind numbing cuteness!_

But alas, even though I enjoyed frolicking around with the wild Totsukas of the dream world, the saga of Hachiman in Wonderland soon came to an end as the sky was ripped asunder and the ground shook beneath me.

It was then that I opened my eyes to the hard floor of my bedroom.

A shadow was lurking above me and even though my eyes were still tired, I could definitely see the pissed off face that the shadow had. It's a look that you normally give to trash that got stuck to your shoes.

Well, I guess her nickname for me, Gomii-chan, had never been more relevant.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked her, referring to the blanket in her hands, something that she obviously pulled which resulted in me falling down in the process.

She only gave me a disgusted 'Tch!' before lashing out at me.

"How could you?!"

"What?"

"How could you forget when the festival starts?!" Komachi shouted with an even louder tone.

I grimaced at the intensity of her voice before searching for the alarm clock.

"Come on, I only slept for a bit. There's no way it's already…"

The clock read 6:05 PM.

"…six…"

 _Ah, crap baskets._

Komachi's glare intensified.

I didn't need to be told to get ready as I immediately leaped into action, running past her to grab some clothes and before heading into the bathroom. After a quick shower, I came out, hair jutting at different spots but I didn't care that much.

I grabbed my wallet and my phone from my room before getting out of it. Komachi was waiting in the hallway, arms crossed impatiently. She didn't spare me a glance as she closed her eyes as if daring me to stop.

I didn't, for obvious reasons and continued on my way.

The train ride was surprisingly calm and quiet despite a festival happening today. It could just be me being relieved that I got away from Komachi's clutches but I didn't think too much about it.

My plans for the evening were simple. I would get in quickly and I would get out even quicker. I should be glad that only Yuigahama was accompanying me because if there are any more people joining us then it would tremendously delay my plans.

Yet as I got off the train and headed towards the festival, I didn't see the gaudy tuft of pink hair anywhere among the crowd. You'd think that with hair like that, she'd be easy to spot.

But I didn't have to wait long though as someone shouted that obnoxious nickname of mine out for the world to hear.

"Hikkiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

From a distance, I could see pink hair bouncing. Immediately, my mind went back to that summer where we met under the sweltering heat. The summer where we met as her fist collided into my guts, boring a metaphorical hole through it.

I braced myself. I may have Post Traumatic Summer Disorder but I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

But in a delightful surprise, she stopped mere meters in front of me, hands on her knees and she was panting hard.

Oh and she was also sporting a flower-patterned yukata but that didn't really matter at the time because I was rooted in my place.

Yuigahama Yui (At least, this world's version) wasn't actively trying to hurt me for being late.

"Where…the hell-…were you?" Yuigahama asked in between pants.

I loosened my stance, seeing as I was in no harm, "I just got here actually. And why do you look like you just ran a marathon?"

"'Cause I did!"

"Huh?"

"Do ya know how large the festival ground is?! It's like the goddamn Tokyo Dome!" Yuigahama continued shouting, further confusing me.

I merely looked at her in confusion and before she could let off another rant, she caught my confused gaze. Breathing out a sigh to calm herself down, she put her hands angrily on her hips before declaring out loud.

"I was looking for you, you dummy."

Oh and she even pouted as an extra.

Under normal circumstances, I would gush at her pose, considering that it was so Totsuka-like. Imagine, a slightly angry Totsuka berating you even though you know that deep down inside, he still adores you.

Well, since it was Yuigahama doing the pose, I couldn't imagine that adorable image at all.

"But why?" Was my reply.

Then, as if a switch was flipped, Yuigahama's face became flustered as she fidgeted around nervously.

"W-Well…I thought you'd already come here andboughtwhatKomachi-channeededandleft…"

That last part of her sentence was barely understandable but due to me being around her most of the time (In the clubroom), I was able to decipher her enigmatic code. I'm a genius, aren't I?

"The festival doesn't even start until six."

"S-Shut up! I was just worried, okay?!" She crossed her arms with a huff and turned around sharply.

I scratched my head awkwardly, not really knowing how to deal with girls with extreme mood swings. I have even less of an idea of how to deal with _violent_ girls with extreme mood swings, which was what Yuigahama was at the moment.

Well, I have to credit her for something though. And that was bestowing upon us the gift of a homemade meal, even if she was forced to do it.

Speaking of which…

"Ah, Yuigahama," She responded to my voice a bit, "Thanks for cooking lunch for us."

It didn't make her completely turn around but it did make her voice less…angry.

"I-Is that so…"

Ah crap, the sun was beginning to set. I should really pick up the pace.

"Well then, shall we go? We don't have much time, you know."

I turned heel and left in the general direction of the festival but something, or rather someone stopped me in my tracks by just holding on to the hem of my shirt.

"We have to wait, y'know," Yuigahama said, her face slightly irritated at my action. I gave her an annoyed glare in response.

"Wait for what exactly?"

"For Yukin- Ah! There she is!" Yuigahama cut herself off mid-sentence to wave at someone behind me. I should've known who it was.

A figure with long black hair waved to us as she ran towards our location. By the time she was done, she, too, was in the same state that Yuigahama was when she finally 'found' me. Not only that but there was something wrong with her though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Yahallo, Yukinon."

Tired, Yukinoshita responded, "Good evening…Yuigahama-san and you too, Hikigaya-kun."

 _Hikigaya-_ _ **kun**_ _?_

I didn't dwell on her being suddenly familiar with me as I had to contemplate running away or not. Was this what Komachi meant by being an escort? Literally escorting two people on their directionless journey?

I knew I shouldn't get annoyed at such a simple request but this was pissing me off.

Screw that! I want to enjoy one of the last two days of my precious summer and I wasn't going to spend it around chatterboxes.

And so, I formulated a plan. A perfect, cunning plan. A hole-less plan. A plan that will definitely get me out of this stupid NPC escort mission.

So while they were engaging in their youthful conversation, I began stepping backwards. Just slightly at first. Seeing as they didn't notice anything, I began to increase my pace.

I managed to put quite a distance between us. It was then that I knew that this would be easy. Totally easy, considering that my aforementioned hole-less plan.

Well…I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for a certain, privy older woman.

Just as I was about to make a run for it, my entire world turned black. The colorful lights and banners of the festival were no more as darkness covered everything. Along with that darkness was the smooth and supple sensation of someone's hands.

Not to mention, the intoxicating scent of perfume.

"Nee-san, stop doing that!" The shrill voice of Yukinoshita cried out.

Hearing that, I immediately tore the hands of the perpetrator off before backing away from said perpetrator. I was too careless. My face must've looked so red and flustered at the moment.

And it was for a good reason.

Because the one that held my head ever so gently was none other than Yukinoshita Haruno.

I visibly winced at her smiling visage.

"Oh my, Hikigaya-kun," She skipped lightly towards me, "Trying to run off somewhere, aren't we?"

I only gave a grunt in response, which slightly amused Haruno as shown by a small giggle.

"I hope you don't mind my sister tagging along," Yukinoshita gave a bow in apology; "She was excited to hear that I was going out with some friends."

"It's okay, really!" Yuigahama tried her best to reassure the guilty Yukinoshita, "The more, the merrier, right?"

It seemed that Yuigahama didn't even believe in her own statement as she even turned to me for affirmation. I just ignored her and turned my head away.

"Aww, thanks, Gahama-san!" Haruno, with a sudden burst of speed, jumped on to Yuigahama.

"Gahama-san?"

"I never thought Yukino-chan could have such a thoughtful friend!" Haruno straight out ignored Yuigahama's contempt with her impromptu nickname, "Oh and where did you get your yukata anyway? It's super cute, y'know!"

And that was the last that we heard of both Haruno and Yuigahama as the older one dragged her relatively younger one towards the festival, leaving behind her sister and of course, me.

Because we finally had peace and quiet, at least for the moment, I noticed what was off about Yukinoshita. Not only did she not wear any yukata, her glasses were also absent from her face.

Noticing that I was staring at her, Yukinoshita turned gingerly towards me.

"Umm…Hikigaya-kun, is there something on my face?" Yukinoshita asked innocently.

"Y-Yeah…wait, I mean," Taking a second to compose myself, I continued, "You're not wearing a yukata? Even though your sister's wearing one?"

"A-Aha…that," She wiped a stray strand of hair from her face, "Well, I've never been to many festivals before so I never thought that I'd have a need for yukatas. My sister has her remade every year to fit her mood."

Oh, well, I guess what's Haruno for you. Rich and rotten to the core.

"So what's about your glasses?"

"Yes?"

"Your glasses," I pointed towards my own face for reference, "You used to wear glasses, didn't ya?"

"O-Oh, right! I…swapped those out for contacts…"

Fair enough. If I had to carry around a case all day then I would get tired too. Plus, glasses are really annoying when your hair's too long or your face itches. Honestly, glasses are such primitive technologies. Contact lenses for life!

"Umm…"

I turned my attention back to Yukinoshita, who looked like she was having a hard time saying something.

Wait, did I swear my allegiance to contact lenses out loud?

Nah, she was just being her usual timid self. My inquisitive look didn't help that much either as she visibly squirm under my watchful eyes. I felt kind of guilty about it, actually.

Taking a huge breath, presumably to calm herself down, she finally spoke up.

"Do you not like it…?"

It?

"Huh?"

"I mean! ...Do you dislike my face when I'm not wearing glasses?"

Oh, so that was what _it_ was.

"I don't really dislike it. You can just wear whatever you want."

"Aah, thank goodness." Yukinoshita sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness for what?"

"N-N-Nothing!" The glass-less girl waved her hands frantically before turning her attention to the festival, "Come on, Hikigaya-kun! We need to catch up with my sister!"

"…sure."

Yukinoshita broke off into a sprint. And by that, I meant a walk slightly faster than her normal one. Of course, I could still catch up to her, considering that she slowed down just after a few seconds.

We did, however, catch up with Haruno and Yuigahama, the latter being visibly irritated at being dragged around without her permission. The older Yukinoshita though was still as gleeful as ever, sporting that ever sly smile on her face.

As the four of us were reunited, Haruno or Yuigahama was about to make a suggestion. Perhaps visit a booth game or indulging ourselves in junk food, but any traces of those intentions were soon erased when a sound unlike any other ripped through the festival air.

The sound of a hungry person.

But not just any hungry person, oh no. It was the sound of Yukinoshita Yukino's stomach.

The girl herself was very embarrassed, if her red, flustered face was any indication. Hell, I even got second-handed embarrassment from that. I think I'd looked away from her. Seriously, if anyone gets embarrassed, don't look at them, you damn morons.

Of course, the patron saints of annoyance, Yukinoshita Haruno herself immediately and effectively alleviates the situation, in her own ways, of course.

"Ah, you haven't had dinner, right?" Haruno's sweet voice rang through the air, harmonizing perfectly with the cacophony of noises from the festival.

If I hadn't been close to Yukinoshita, I might as well not hear anything. Her response was only a small 'Yes'. So small, in fact, that it could be compared to mosquito buzzing around. You couldn't tell if it doesn't come close to you.

"Soooooo," Haruno cheerfully continued, "Why don't we split up and grab a bite, hm?"

"Sounds good," Yuigahama replied innocently before she realized her mistake.

"Then!" Haruno jumped and latched on to one of my arms, "I'll go with Hikigaya-kun!"

"Gah!" Yuigahama was fuming with anger, but I don't think it's anger for my sake, "Why are you keepi-I mean, going with Hikki?!"

 _Oi, don't treat me like a pet._

"Oh my, Gahama-san," The sweet voice of Haruno rang throughout the vicinity, "Would you rather be the one to accompany me, then?"

Unfortunately, that sweet voice was also toxic. And sure enough, that showed on Yuigahama's face. Try as she might, even the delinquent-esque Yuigahama couldn't bear the overbearing look of contempt that Haruno was giving her.

"Y-Yukinon, you're coming with me!"

In an instant, Yukinoshita went from standing on her own two feet to being dragged by a frantic Yuigahama. It should be impossible for a human to have that sort of strength.

"We'll meet back at the main entrance after you're done eating, okaaaaaaay?" Haruno shouted at their retreating figures. I wasn't even sure they heard it or not.

With them gone, that meant that I, the normal, quite average, pragmatic high school student, was stuck with none other than Yukinoshita Haruno.

This day just couldn't get any better, could it?

Haruno was now smiling contently in the general direction of where Yukinoshita and Yuigahama went to. Since she stayed in that same position for a long time, my arm somehow became…numb.

I soon realized that she had locked her arm with my own for a stupidly long time.

Just as any sane person would do, I immediately removed my arm from Haruno's grasp. This, in turn, alerted her of my movement but her only response was a small smile. It was as if she was taunting me.

"Well then, we should go get something to eat, right?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she immediately turned around and walked towards the west (east?) section of the festival. All things considered, I could've run away. Hell, I **should've** run away.

But somehow, someway, I inexplicably found my feet moving behind her. Her yukata covered back looked so small compared to the various attractions of the festival, yet at the same time, it was radiant, blinding. She might as well have been a walking attraction herself.

I wasn't alone in sharing my feelings though as various pairs of eyes followed Haruno as she and I moved past stalls.

Finally, she stopped at one of the stalls, turned to me and smiled at me sweetly. The lucky stall that she had chosen was a normal okonomiyaki stand.

I didn't move for a few solid seconds, trading stares with Haruno in the process. It was obvious what she was trying to get me to do. Paying for the okonomiyaki while her dainty, rich hands are clean from all the commoners' filth.

Nope, I wasn't going to do that. No way.

But ultimately, what made me cave in to her demands wasn't Haruno herself but the stares of the onlookers. It was a basically a mass shaming for me if I didn't get her a serving of okonomiyaki and as sturdy as my shoulder may be, even I couldn't handle such pressure.

Yeah but so what? It was just okonomiyaki. No biggie. I mean, the money was from my wallet and all, but still, if it appeased the masses and stopped me from getting turning into Swiss cheese by their laser-beam glares, then so be it.

Or so I thought.

Because immediately after we left the okonomiyaki stand, Haruno stopped by two more stands, one of which was a takoyaki stand while the other was a mask stand.

And you guess it; I was forced to buy both of them for none other than our overlord, Haruno herself.

I wasn't particularly happy about spending my hard-earned cash on something that I wouldn't get to enjoy but Haruno's plan was cruel and effective. She would choose a stall and stand there until I caved in to the pressure from the onlookers.

She played the needy girlfriend card perfectly, and I couldn't exactly tell everyone otherwise, seeing as I was carrying bags of food behind her. Everyone just assumed that I was her submissive lover.

Urgh, just that very thought made me want to vomit right then and there.

Haruno's next destination was not a food stall nor was it a game stall. It was a secluded area, surrounded by dense thickets. The moment I saw her walking towards that area, I thought to myself that there was no way she was going to go there.

It was safe to say that I was completely wrong.

I didn't immediately follow her like last time though. Instead, I opted to stand in between the thin point where the light of the festival and the darkness of the secluded area met. Kinda symbolic, now that I think about it.

Eventually though, I noticed that it was just the back of a local shrine, and seeing as people were literally right across from where we were, I felt safe enough to cross over to the dark side.

Sitting daintily on a stone bench, Haruno beckoned me to come over and sit next to her. I wordlessly refused by handing her a portion of the okonomiyaki that she so dearly craved.

She pouted slightly but ultimately accepted the meal (Which I bought) anyway. The air felt a bit…dangerous at that moment. There was no way that Haruno called me out here to just stand and watch her eat. She must've wanted to talk about something.

I didn't have to wait that long as Haruno laid her chopsticks on the Styrofoam container, looking up at me inquisitively.

She didn't ask any question. She just looked right into my eyes, as if peering through my very soul.

"…What?"

Her face lit up immediately, complimented by a perfect smile.

"Oh, nothing~" She replied in a sing song voice, "I was just thinking about something."

"That something is?" The moment I finished saying that, I realized what a horrible mistake I made. I was too careless in interacting with her.

And judging by her ever increasing smile, I definitely fell into her trap.

"What is Yukino-chan to you, Hikigaya-kun?"

"I feel like we had this conversation before…" I immediately opened my dumb mouth again, mouthing off my thoughts rather loudly.

"We might have or we might not have," She swayed her body from side to side, as if switching between the two options, "But the you of then is different from the you right now. So tell me…"

With her hands supporting her chin, she leaned forward.

"What is Yukino-chan to you?"

I stayed silent on purpose in order to spot any openings that she might leave. Unfortunately though, her façade was as tough as it was superficial. I eventually found out that being stared at intently by Haruno of all people was a really unnerving experience.

And once again, I cracked under the pressure.

"She's just a club mate."

Haruno raised an eyebrow in confusion, "That's it? Not even a friend? You _have_ spent time together, y'know."

"I'm not sure I can call myself her friend or not…"

"Oh my," An obviously fake look of confusion found its way to her face, "Aren't you Mister Innocent."

I could feel my eyebrows furrowing by themselves. If the area we were in wasn't so dark, she would've probably felt annoyance seeping out of my very eyes.

Well, to be honest, she probably did this on purpose to get a rise out of me anyway.

"Look," I said sternly, "Why did you bring me here? Either get straight to the point or-,"

"Hikigaya-kun," She straight up ignored me, staring at the sky above instead, "Do you think you're special?"

"…There are over 7 billion people on this planet so no, I don't feel special." I decided to humor her, even if it was just for a little bit.

"I guess so, right? Hahaha!" Her jolly laughter grated my ears like sandpaper, "Though, I think you should consider yourself special."

"And why is that?"

"Well, for starters, Yukino-chan chose you to become her friend, y'know."

"I have no idea becoming someone's friend can be considered special," I responded dryly.

"Tsk, tsk tsk," Haruno wagged her finger at me, "It's not becoming _someone's_ friend; it's becoming _Yukino-chan's_ friend."

"So…?"

A finger found its way onto her chin, as she struck a thoughtful pose, "Well, now that I think about it, you shouldn't feel all that special either."

"What are you even trying to say here?"

"Let's just say that you're…what's the word for it again…" Her brows furrowed in faux-confusion as she crossed her arms, "Ah! A flavor of the month!"

"Excuse me?"

"I thought you would get that analogy…oh well," Her trademark smile graced her face once more, "Just think that of a child getting a new toy, but eventually, that toy will be broken and cast aside."

I was about to speak up but Haruno left me no room to talk.

"Don't you find it strange that Yukino-chan is perfect yet she doesn't have many people hanging around her? Not to mention, she is also a child…"

An uncharacteristic anger formed inside me. I'm normally a calm person. 90% of the time that I get provoked, I shrugged it off.

Yet why was Haruno the 10%?

"Are you implying that I'm just a toy to her?"

"Am I stuttering?" She responded without missing a beat.

I reeled back just a little. Hopefully, she didn't notice that.

"You know, Hikigaya-kun, I think you're pretty interesting."

 _Another topic?_

"Ever since I've heard about you from Shizuka-chan-,"

"Wait what?!"

What did sensei have to do with this?!

"Oh, don't worry about that. It was just during one of Shizuka-chan's drunken rants."

The way she said it made it seemed as if it was supposed to calm me down. It failed, just so you know.

"Anyway, from what I heard, I actually expected you to ditch the Service club after one day," She suddenly raised one arm into the air before pointing it to me," Therefore, a question arose."

"Why haven't you left? Could it be because of Yukino-chan?" Was her simple and plain inquiry.

"If I leave, the Hiratsuka-sensei will just threaten me again."

"You know that's stupid. There's no way you'd actually believe Shizuka-chan's bluffs."

"Well-,"

"What about this festival? Why did you even stay? You could've left without those two being the wiser, y'know."

I tried to retort but found my mind incredibly cloudy. Haruno was…right. Why haven't I left yet? Was it because of Komachi? I could just make an excuse for her. So why?

"…I'm just here because someone forced me to," I finally wriggled out an answer.

"You could just make an excuse."

"Even if I leave, you would drag me back anyway."

"If you do, I won't tell a soul," To show her conviction, she even brought up a finger to her sealed mouth, "In fact; there is a pathway behind me that leads right to the main road. It's a bit dark but I think you'll manage."

"So…will you leave?"

Why was Haruno making so much sense? There was no way Yukinoshita could be as conniving and manipulative as Haruno…could she?

I'm not in my Chiba anymore. The people that I'd interacted with thus far aren't even my people. So why don't I just leave the Service club?

The sound of a vibrating phone brought me out of my thoughts.

"Ah, looks like they finished eating," Haruno stood up, one hand holding her phone while the other threw the Styrofoam container into a trash bin, "Let's get going, shall we? I know you can't wait to see Yukino-chan."

She patted my shoulder lightly as she walked past me. It seemed like a friendly gesture but it felt like anything but that.

The pathway that Haruno told me about was now unobstructed yet somehow, I found myself turning around and following the older of the Yukinoshita sisters. It was as if I was in a trance and her back was the only thing guiding me.

Did she call me out there just to tell me that Yukinoshita's actually rotten just like her?

No, that would be too inefficient and too ridiculous, but it made sense…somewhat. Since I was lost in own train of thoughts, my sense of time and distance was apparently gone. What I thought was just a 1 minute of walking already led us to the main gate, where the four of us were supposed to meet.

Yukinoshita was waiting there, along with Yuigahama, who had her hands full with boxes of food and in one of her hands, a candy apple.

What a glutton.

"Hikki, you're late!" Yuigahama berated me amidst of her taking a bite of the candy apple.

"Sorry, I was the one that held him up," Haruno responded in my stead, a gentle smile on her face.

Yuigahama was taken aback by this as her mouth hung open for quite some time before she shook herself out of her stupor.

"Okay then…"

Satisfied with her response, Haruno spoke up, "Well, now that we're all here, I believe we should split up again, no?"

"Eh, why?! We already did that!" Once again, Yuigahama cried out.

"You've only been to one side of the festival, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Haruno continued, "So I think it'd be great if we'd split up, don't you think?"

"I guess so…"

"Great!" I was then pushed towards Yukinoshita, "Then Yukino-chan can go with Hikigaya-kun then!"

I had no problems with her proposition but a certain pink-hair girl thought otherwise.

"B-But why?!"

"Come on, Gahama-san, I want to hang out with you more, y'know! Oh and your yukata's mega cute too! Where'd you get it?" Haruno began spouting nonsense as she put her arm around Yuigahama's shoulder as she dragged her away; much to the latter's displeasure.

Just like before, I was left alone with another person. Except this time, it wasn't Yukinoshita Haruno. It was Yukinoshita Yukino. I could feel a slight bit of solace being around her though it was still crappy that I was forced to do so.

"Umm, Hikigaya-kun…" I turned my head towards Yukinoshita, "Let's go?"

I gave a small nod and with gusto, she led the way, something very out of character of her. Not that I minded though; it was less work for my brain.

It was apparent that Yukinoshita was looking for a plush to add to her collection, probably one of a certain grumpy panda but it wasn't too bad for me; because it reminded me to get one for Komachi as well. Plus, there were also food stalls right next to the stalls selling plush toys.

As we were walking, Yukinoshita stopped slightly before a stand. I assumed she wanted to buy something but that wasn't the case as a person shouted her name.

"Yukinoooooo-chan!"

I turned towards the sound and so did Yukinoshita, who looked happier than I did at seeing that woman. What was her name again? Umami? Sashimi?

"Sagami-san!"

 _Well, that answers that._

The jolly Yukinoshita was ecstatic to see, what I presumed to be, her friend. Sagami was just as happy, hanging around with her other friends and since Yukinoshita came into the mix, her smile got even larger.

Though it could be a façade from either one of them. Or both of them.

Sagami, huh? That's a name I haven't thought of since…forever, actually. But for her to actually be friend with Yukinoshita? Somehow, that made sense.

Haruno's words still lingered on my mind as I watched Yukinoshita running over to Sagami, leaving me alone in front of a plush toy stall. She was implying-no, she was outright saying that Yukinoshita is the same as her, manipulative and shrewd.

"Eh, is that your boyfriend over there?"

I immediately snapped my head towards the group. It looked like they were huddling up to discuss something secret, but they were so loud, they might as well broadcast their conversation to the entire festival.

"O-Of course not!" Yukinoshita fervently denied, "I wouldn't be caught with a guy like that! You should know that!"

 _A guy like that…_

Sagami and her merry gang laughed gleefully.

"But you do know him, right? Look, he looks like he's waiting for you," Sagami stated, pointing her finger ever so slightly at me.

They did know that I could hear them, right? Well, they noticed I was staring but they chose to ignore my hearing capabilities. Either they're idiots or…they're idiots.

"Well…ahaha…he is just someone in my club; that's all!"

 _Just someone…_

Sagami put one hand under her chin, as if inspecting me, even though I was staring right at her. Seriously, is she an idiot? Or just plain ignorant?

"I guess you're right. There's no way you'll be friends with someone that looks so…"

As if on cue, Yukinoshita excitedly said, "Suspicious, right?! I mean, he got eyes of a dead fish! There's absolutely no way I'll be stuck with someone like that!"

"Right, right!" One of Sagami's friends agreed wholeheartedly, "He looks totes shady. Like, someone plotting something."

"Uh-huh!"

 _Dead fish eyes…someone suspicious…_

The way Yukinoshita agreed so earnestly with Sagami and her friends pricked me a bit. It was the same pain that I felt during the summer camp where I discovered Yukinoshita's unrequited feelings, but right now, that feeling was multiplied tenfold.

Not to mention, she looked like a spoiled child. A spoiled child who got her hands on a recently released doll and decided to discard the old ones.

I remembered what I came here to do and immediately bought a plush from the stall behind me. I didn't care what it was as I quickly moved to an okonomiyaki stall nearby before buying two servings; one for myself and the other, for Komachi.

Normally, I would leave immediately but that would be rude, wouldn't it?

"Yukinoshita!" I called out to the laughing girl, "I'm going home!"

I turned on my heels and promptly walked towards the gate. It was getting late after all, and I needed to get back home before Komachi gets cranky.

Just after a few minutes, I reached the main gate. The street lamps adorning the sidewalks were already lit up.

Immediately after I took a few steps out of the gate, something grabbed a hold of my arm. Rather, it was someone. I didn't turn to face the perpetrator as I knew who it was. I didn't have to ask her to let go either since she started the conversation.

"Hikigaya-kun, where are you going?" Yukinoshita inquired breathlessly.

"I'm just going home," Was my simple reply.

Taking a deep breath, Yukinoshita said, "But there's still the fireworks show!"

"So?"

I could tell she was surprised by my one word answer but nevertheless, the pitiful girl continued.

"So I think it'd be great if we watch it together…you know, as friends…"

At that point, I couldn't contain myself any longer as I gave a small chuckle. Soon, that chuckle amplified and so on and so forth. I did eventually calm myself down though but it was hard.

"Yeah, sure! Why not?" I couldn't help but speak in a mocking manner, "Let's watch fireworks with someone who calls you suspicious, dead-fish eyed and goes out of her way to say that she doesn't want to be around you!"

I realized how harsh that sounded but honestly, I didn't care at all. During Yukinoshita's conversation with Sagami, I reached an epiphany. It wasn't grand or noble but it was an epiphany nonetheless.

I finally found the reason why I didn't just leave the Service club.

It wasn't like I couldn't do it. I totally could've avoided everything that had to do with the Service club. Our first request? Ignoring it. Summer camp? Ignoring it.

I knew all the possible results yet I still went along with their farce. Reason? I didn't want to leave.

This isn't my world. This isn't my Chiba.

That was what I'd told myself over and over again yet in a random corner of my mind, I half-expected Yukinoshita and Yuigahama to be the same as the ones in my world.

Sad fact is no one's the same except me.

Another sad fact is that Haruno was right.

This Yukinoshita obviously looks up to her elder sister so it was no wonder that she would be the same rotten, conniving human being.

I mean, after all, Yukinoshita Yukino is Yukinoshita Haruno's dear little sister.

"Hikigaya-kun…that was just a joke. I was just trying to-,"

"Oh really?" I spat out bitterly, "Then my earlier statement was just a joke too."

I began walking again but Yukinoshita tightened her grab.

"Hikigaya-kun, you're being mean."

Turning towards her annoyed face, I could feel myself getting a tad bit angry. She didn't have any rights to be annoyed. If anything, I should be annoyed at her blocking my route home.

"Well, sorry I'm not nice then," I sighed, trying to contain my anger, "Can I go now?"

"Please, you must understand, Hikigaya-kun," She did a great job, acting desperate; "I was just trying to maintain the status quo. If they know that I hang out with you then-,"

"Could you stop that?"

"Huh?"

"Just please stop trying to sound innocent. It disgusts me."

"B-But-,"

"And also, stop calling me 'Hikigaya- _kun_ '," I could see the confusion on her face, "Honestly; I just want to puke every time you call me that."

"Then please listen to me, Hikigaya-san!" _Oh now, she calls me that,_ "I wasn't trying to be hurtful towards you. It was unfortunate that they were picking on you but I was just playing along!"

I put a hand on my face and sighed deeply just to calm myself down. God, I sighed so many times today that my happiness level must be zero by now.

"Seriously, just stop."

"I won't understand if you don't explain it to me!" Yukinoshita shouted.

"Then read my lips carefully," That statement stopped whatever she was trying to say, "No words in the Japanese or English or even French dictionary can describe the amount of fucks that I don't give about you or your so-called 'status-quo' for that matter."

She was stunned, bewildered at my straightforwardness. Perfect.

"I mean, really," I put on an exaggerated tone, "I think we all know why I'm here anyway."

I took a deep breath since I had been talking for a while now.

"A stupidly overbearing teacher forced me to be in your decrepit club. A stupid sister forced me to come to a waste of space of a festival. And worst of all, some stupid idiot decided to run me over with a car."

All of my anger and frustrations poured out. I didn't care. Why should I? This is just another world anyway. If it isn't my world, then it's not my problems. The Hachiman of this world could be a loner for all eternity for all I care.

"Hikigaya-san…"

My eyes refused to meet Yukinoshita but I heard hiccups. Soon, sobbing accompanied it. Tch, how pathetic. Resorting to tears just to guilt trip me.

"So really, if you're just hanging out with me just to toy around with a plebian like myself, then just stop. I can already see through all your facades," I let out a snicker, "You're just like your sister."

Her breathing sounded more erratic by the second. I wasn't responsible for that. She was the one that started all this so she should be able to handle it.

Finally, I decided that looking at her in the eyes wouldn't impact me. When I did look at her though, I was a bit…shocked.

It wouldn't be an understatement to say that she was crying a river, but even then, I must praise her. Being able to summon tears on the spot? Very impressive.

Her mouth switched from being open to close sporadically before she could spout off one last word of nonsense.

"S-Sorry!"

With one last word to me, Yukinoshita took off in the opposite direction, heading towards the festival with tears still streaming behind her face.

 _Oh brother, now I'm going to be late._

I checked my phone and just as I expected, the time read 8:40 pm.

Before I could go on my merry way, another hand grasped me. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Well, I would've if the hand that held me wasn't so strong.

Surprised wasn't my feeling at the moment. The only thing I had to question was how she got here so fast while wearing a yukata.

"Let go," I simply said.

"No can do," The menacing voice of Yuigahama rang throughout the air, "You have 3 seconds to tell me why Yukinon cried."

"I said let go," Using just enough force for her to loosen her grip on my shoulder, I became free from the shackles that were Yuigahama's tough hands.

"You're not going until you spill the beans, y'know."

Her warning was simple yet threatening, but I didn't feel any malice from it. As a matter of fact, I felt a familiar sense of annoyance building up inside me.

"You know what, Yuigahama," Turning ever so slightly to face Yuigahama, I managed to put her on guard, if her posture was any indication, "You're annoying."

"What?"

"Not only that but you're stupid, irresponsible, violent and not to mention-,"

"Woah, what the hell?!" She yelled angrily. Luckily, no one was on the streets beside us and a couple of cars.

"Why are you being such a jerk?!"Yuigahama exclaimed, her face full of anger, "Why are you like this?!"

My shoulders drooped slightly. This stupid idiot seriously couldn't understand why I was mad?

"You're right. It's not like you and that other bitch cause me to get run over by a car and ruin my social standings or anything," I let out a sarcastic laugh as I continued, "Oh wait, you did."

In a blink of an eye, a hand glided across my face and left from it was pain. Nothing but pure pain.

Yuigahama Yui slapped me. She had the gall to slap me, even though she was the culprit!

I glared at the pink hair girl while she was trying her hardest to not fully assault me. Her eyes were glistening but it was probably the copious amount of fake tears she tried to use on me.

"Don't you dare call her a bitch!"

"Heh, as always, you resort to violence," I tried to feel the afflicted area, "Just like when you put me under a goddamn car."

"You're…you're still hung up about that?" Yuigahama asked in disbelief.

"Your stupid actions cause me a fractured leg and as a result, I had to spend a week away from school!"

Yuigahama bit her lips.

"You weren't the only one!"

That very shout might as well reverberate throughout the entire neighborhood. Our breathings were both erratic. I tried to keep my anger in check while she…she shouldn't be feeling anything but guilt so why was she breathless?

"I was there with you! How could you forget?!"

Something didn't add up here but I couldn't let her get the upper hand.

"You really expect me to believe that?" I retorted with contempt, "You're just as rotten as that bitch."

Another slap graced my face.

I glared with half lidded eyes at the culprit. Her face was red from anger and her eyes were wet. It amazed me to no end at how these people summon tears on the spot.

"If you could just stop wallowing in your self-pity for once! Just once!" Yuigahama shouted as loud as possible, almost bursting my ear drums, "Then maybe you could see that Yukinon and I actually care about you!"

An impossible chuckle came out of my mouth, "You should be a standup comedian, Yuigahama. You can be a two man comedy act by yourself."

Before I knew it, something quite soft impacted my face. I didn't notice it before but Yuigahama was carrying something else on her other hand and now that something lay pathetically near my feet.

"You asshole!"

I think Yuigahama made it a point to bump into my shoulder as hard as possible because when she ran past me, I almost toppled over from the force of her tackle. Actually, it made me lose my grip on the plastic bags containing the okonomiyaki.

On closer inspection, the thing she threw was a Pan-san plush toy. It was fortunate that there was a trash can near me, because with one swift motion, the plush landed inside it perfectly.

Slam Dunk, or whatever the west call it.

Another thing I had to pick up was Komachi's late night snack. Hopefully, it wasn't too ruined by that bitch.

I heaved out a gigantic sigh. It couldn't be helped after all, since today was a tiring day and I also had to deal with two impossibly rotten bitches. Oh boy, Komachi will definitely get mad at me when I get home.

Not to mention, I also didn't get to see the fireworks that day.

Oh well.

* * *

 **[1]: The Ring**

 **[2]: Tokyo Ghoul**

 **[3]: My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes:** **Sorry for the delays. I guess this is what happens when a Pokemon fan acquires Pokemon Sun (Which, by the way, is the best Pokemon game ever!)**

 **Without further ado, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Even so, Hiratsuka Shizuka is a Good Teacher.**

I want to go home.

I want to go home.

I want to go to _my_ home.

Not to this pathetic excuse of a house or this pathetic excuse of Chiba. It's fake and disgusting to the core. Even its inhabitants are backstabbing, rotten pieces of crap. I would even take my world's Hayama over everyone else in this stupid world.

Why am I even here?

What have I done wrong?

Was this someone's disgusting idea of a prank? No, it's too elaborate to be a plan. It's cold, harsh reality.

Then…if it's reality, then why the hell am I here?!

 _Thud._

A dull sound of something colliding against wood caused me to look at my door. Since I was the only other inhabitant in the house, it was relatively easy to conclude who was causing such an ear-grinding noise.

 _Thud. Thud._ _ **Thud.**_

The knocks grew ever louder as the person behind it finally spoke up in the most annoying voice possible, causing me to visibly wince.

"Oniiiii-chan! It's dinnertime, y'know!"

I resorted to covering my ears with a pillow just to drown her voice out but even I knew that wasn't enough. The shrieking noise coming from the other side of the door was too much and soon enough, I was annoyed; angry even.

Breathing deeply to calm myself, I tried to cover my ears even more.

"Come oooooon, you can't stay in there forever!" Her knocks began to get louder and louder, "You gotta cook me some food, y'know!"

It was useless.

The persistence of an idiot was too much for me. I had to put a stop to this somehow, someway.

And so, my feet reluctantly carried me to the door, where a screaming ferret was waiting behind it.

"Oniiii-chan!" Komachi whined once more.

I clasped my hands onto the metal knob, feeling its coldness spreading through my skin. Gripping it tightly, I tried a breathing technique that I once saw online to calm my nerves.

It didn't work.

"You need to get out, y'know. It's not good holing yourself up like that."

The door swung open as Komachi got surprised at the sudden change, made apparent by her face. I so desperately wanted to shout, to scream, to yell at this insufferable little bugger to go annoy someone else. There were myriad of hurtful things that I could shout at her to make her run off…

But I couldn't.

In front of me was a stranger. A complete and total stranger who I couldn't even care less about, but she had the face of Komachi, my own flesh and blood.

It wasn't fair. How could I vent out at something that looked so innocent and familiar?

I bit my lips and in an attempt to avert my gaze from this imposter, I covered my entire face with one hand, giving me a tired appearance.

"Komachi," I spat out in disgust at having to use her name for this fake, "I don't really feel that good so can you just go eat some cup ramen or whatever?"

I waved her off wearily, hoping that she would leave me alone. I didn't want to see Komachi's face with this horrible personality.

But just as I had expected, she was stubborn to a fault. Not only did she not leave, she haughtily put her arms on her hip and puffed out her chest, her face morphed into a pout.

I wrapped my hand around my face even tighter.

Why wasn't she going away? Run off, damn it.

"You didn't even buy me anything from the festival last night, and now you want to let your little sister starve?"

 _Starve to death for all I care._

"Komachi…" My breaths were heavy and slow, drawn out as to not let myself hyperventilate.

"Like, seriously, you didn't even tell me what happened with Yui-san," She made a patronizing clicking sound, "That's a big no-no in Komachi points 101, y'know."

It was nearly the end of summer but it was still somewhat hot. Add that to the fact that this imposter dared acting like Komachi, it made my head hot, as if all the anger was pooling up and ready to burst at a moment's notice.

I felt sickened.

"Komachi," I spoke with an authoritative tone, "I need some alone time."

"Alone time? You're always alone!"

My teeth grinded against themselves harder and harder by the second. The heat was getting to me.

Not good. Definitely not good.

"Besides, you're seriously going to abandon your adorable little sister who helped you scored a nice date with Yui-san? Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Nice 'date'? What a joke. And that disgusting tone of hers…

Komachi put her hands on hip again, trying to look intimidating though if I were to be frank, it was anything but intimidating; but I wasn't about to be swayed by her charms though. Those charms belong to the real Komachi, not this fake one.

"Jeez, Onii-chan," She brought her fist back as if readying a punch, "You'll never get popular with girls with an attitude like that."

And then she punched me right in the mouth.

It wasn't a particularly powerful one nor was it a weak one either. She hit me squarely on one of my cheeks.

A pain surged through my whole mouth as I realized that due to her punch; she had caused my teeth to grind against the insides of my cheek which in turned, caused my cheek to be cut.

In short, **she** cut the inside of my cheek.

I hated it.

I hated _her._

In a speed that I didn't know I was capable off, I tore her hand off my cheek and pulled her aside, almost causing her to fall in the process. Not that I cared since she had injured me just mere seconds ago.

"Onii-chan!" Komachi shouted, looking at me with those deplorable, fake eyes of hers.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be doing this to my own sister, but this little brat in front of me was anything but my little sister. This detestable brat was an annoying, pompous and self-gratifying imposter who had the gall to berate and injure me.

My eyes felt hot and my vision blurred as if a fire was lit underneath them.

Her eyes were like that of a scared puppy. It was pathetic.

Then, for the third time in span of two days, I shouted.

"Can't you just get a goddamn clue?!" My voice was hoarse and rough. It was as if I was listening to another person altogether, "I'm tired, I'm sick and I'm fed up with you!"

She tried to slip out of my grip but I pulled on her arm even rougher, eliciting an audible wince out of her in the process.

"Why can't you just understand that I need some time alone?!"

'Komachi' looked like a scared animal that was caught in a trap. She desperately tried to pry my hand open to release her arm, and due to my irritation, she was actually able to slip out.

"What are you doing to your own sister!?" Her breaths were erratic and shallow, but so were mine, "You're not acting like my brother!"

"I **wish** I wasn't your brother!"

A few seconds later, I realized the weight of my words.

Perfect.

Should I care that I was ruining this world's Hachiman's relationships? Pff, at this rate, I was saving him from this abusive relationship. He should be thanking me if we ever came across each other.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to drop at any second. Her ability to summon tears at a moment's notice was impressive. Almost as impressive as Yukinoshita's own crocodile tears.

Her voice was shaky, like a pile of rocks threatening to fall at a moment's notice. There was hesitance in her eyes as her mouth opened and closed unsteadily, making her look like a fish that was out of breath.

"H-How could you?!" A cracked voice enveloped the hallway, "You-You said that…you'll always be with me so how could you?!"

Before I even got a word in, she immediately got her next words in.

"You said that I'll never be alone…" Komachi said, almost wistfully, "That you'll always be with me if mom and dad weren't around…"

The hot summer air was awful. I wasn't able to breathe as well as I should since the atmosphere in the hallway was so hot and thick that you would have trouble squeezing out a single word.

"So why…"

Her tone was one of resignation and exasperation. This Komachi sounded like she was tired of all this. What a damn hypocrite.

"Why would you break your promise to me…"

She looked at me straight in the eyes, with hers still full of tears. She looked so pitiful and sad. Somehow, I felt… wrong. It was an indescribable feeling but if I were to describe it somehow, it would be that…

I committed an atrocity.

It was a nagging feeling, chipping away at my heart every few second. The pricking sensation it inflicted upon my heart was annoying at best, aggravating at worst.

But I couldn't let it show.

This fake would take advantage of that fact.

So instead of buckling under the pressure, I opened my mouth. No, I wasn't about to let this imposter take control of me any longer. It didn't matter that she has Komachi's face or Komachi's voice; she is and always will be a fake.

"Why? Ask yourself this then," I didn't shout, but instead, enunciating my every words, "What kind of a stupid sister expects her brother to be okay with her hurting him every single day?"

"But-!"

"What kind of idiotic brother would put up with someone who doesn't even have common sense?"

Komachi tried to cut in but I didn't let her. No, this was an opportunity that I can't waste.

"Answer me."

"I…That's not-!"

" **Answer me**." I repeated myself, my voice showing hints of frustration.

But she didn't, as expected. Because she couldn't or rather, she could but she couldn't handle saying it out loud. I noticed that she was biting her lips really hard. So hard in fact that it might even draw blood.

So, in a true altruistic fashion, I had decided to relieve her of this pain.

"You're that stupid sister, you idiot and I **was** that idiotic brother."

 _Keyword: Was._

I didn't add my latter thoughts but I assumed that she noticed the tense that I used anyway. As dumb as this fake is, she can probably still understand grammar at a middle school level.

No reactions came out of her, verbal or physical; instead, she had chosen to tremble like a little hamster trying to contain its rage. Not that said hamster could do anything though.

All she knew were wrestling moves that are only effective on an opponent whose IQ matches his shoe size.

She balled up her hands into adorably tiny little fists which could barely make a dent in a pillow. In a way, it was satisfying to see this little runt getting what she deserved.

"Now scram," I shooed her away, "Spending any more time around you and I'll throw up my non-existent dinner."

In response, or rather, in retaliation, she didn't exactly do what I said, which was something that I expected. Instead, she kept her gaze low, her bangs helping to give her eyes a cover.

Somehow, I felt annoyed that she wasn't heeding my command. Therefore, I did the only thing that I could.

I poked her forehead.

Once.

Twice.

Even thrice.

But she still didn't budge.

 _How annoying._

But even if I didn't attempt to move her, she would eventually go back to her room anyway. It was a simple understanding of a human's needs. Sooner or later, she would get tired of standing.

So why didn't I just go back into my own room?

The answer was simple.

'Komachi' was muttering something under her breath, piquing my curiosity in the process. Normally, a person's thought process after insulting someone would be one of apathy but in my case, I guess I had an urge to find out any delusional excuses that she might thought up.

"Huh?" I leaned in towards her. Now that I think about it, it looked as if I was provoking her.

Well, 'Komachi' must have had that idea, as in a span of half a second, I went from easily supporting myself on both legs to barely doing so on one knee, rubbing my shin cautiously.

That brat had kicked me right in the shin.

A shout of 'Onii-chan, you jerk!' reverberated throughout the hallway, but I honestly couldn't care less as I was desperately trying to not exacerbate the already horrible pain in my leg.

For the second time today, she had injured me for no reason.

Did I even touch a single hair on her head? No, not a single one.

Have I ever tried dangerous wrestling moves on her? Of course not, I'm not that moronic.

I never directly hurt her yet she had the gall to hurt me and expect me to forgive her?

What a stupid, stupid idiot.

It wasn't my fault that she was a sensitive little brat that couldn't receive back the pain that she had dished out. Just like those two…

Somehow, someway, my hate for this 'Komachi' grew even larger than night.

I hate her. I absolutely hate this Komachi.

But more importantly, I absolutely hate this world.

* * *

The rays of the rising sun marked the beginning of a new morning, and as well as the official end of summer vacation.

Truth be told, the weather was still stuffy and hot but as much as I hate it, I had to go to school.

For what reasons?

…I didn't know the reason myself but I felt an urge to ride my bicycle down that familiar path to that familiar building.

Perhaps, it was a habit of mine. An unchanging cycle that couldn't be broken no matter how hard I tried.

I personally didn't care either way.

After putting on my uniform, I headed downstairs, towards the kitchen and ultimately, towards an empty dining table. I wasn't surprised, not one bit.

But I still couldn't help but wonder where she was off to. Perhaps, she had already left and was on her way to school, in an attempt to avoid me. Or maybe, she was still sulking and brooding in her room.

Either way, I couldn't give less of a crap about her.

Finishing my daily intakes of nutrients from instant ramen, I headed off to school.

Everything was normal and monotonous.

I didn't mind. I like things normal and monotonous.

But when I got to class, there was one single thing that stood out from the norm.

Actually, two things.

First of all, there was a distinct lack of pink hair in a certain chair.

Second, every single pairs of eyes latched on to me, staring at me, observing me like a zoo animal. I couldn't say a thing to those rubbernecks; they outnumbered me by a large margin.

So, in an act of self-preservation, I did the only thing that I could do.

Ignoring them.

It was surprising how effective not talking or looking at them was. One moment, I felt the pressure of a million eyes pressing on my back and the next, they were gone.

The phenomenon is similar to wild animals as well. If you ignore them long enough, they would go away. Well, to be fair, the students that were staring at me might as well be considered wild animals.

But animals always have hierarchy, so it wasn't surprising that after a wave of minions failed to intimidate me, their last resort was the leader herself.

And thus, the Queen Bee came into play.

"Oi, Hikio," A hand smacked itself right onto a side of my table as an annoying voice sounded off, "Where's Yui?"

I didn't even need to look to know who it was. The voice, and not to mention, the nickname, gave it away.

"How should I know?"

"I'm serious here!"

In a single shout, Miura Yumiko silenced the entire class. Not even Tobe or his idiotic friends were chattering. Such was the power of a queen.

"I am too, y'know," I said as innocently as I possibly could, "I'm not even her friend so really, how could I know where she is?"

That statement was possibly a bad move for me. One should never poke a sleeping lioness, as they are, after all, the most active member of the pack. Hell, I bet a bear wouldn't do it.

But, to be honest, what could she do in a school environment?

"Don't screw with me." Miura said in a low voice.

It wasn't a warning.

It was a threat. A threat that I was very much aware of.

But I didn't budge. Why should I? A bear needs to protect its den too, after all.

"I know she was with you the during the summer festival."

"So?"

"So it's obvious what happened when she didn't answer my call after that night!"

Can I say illogical?

It was truly a mind boggling feat as to how Miura managed to decipher me being the root of the problem as opposed to Yuigahama herself being the cause.

It wasn't my fault that she brought it upon herself.

I'm completely and utterly innocent. Clear as a crystal and right as rain.

But from my experience, it is hard to argue with a smart person, and it's even harder to argue against a stupid person.

So I did what I did with the other gawkers and just ignored Miura.

But that even that ingenious solution didn't douse that fire that was Miura's anger.

"Hikigaya, I'm gonna give you one more chance."

I looked at her. Her eyes were green but I felt like it was the calm before a storm. A luscious grass plain ready to be lighted on fire.

Gulping, I answered as calmly as possible.

"Is that so?"

In hindsight, that might not have been the most logical response, but I didn't have to worry that much.

"Why you little-!"

Because every Queen has her King.

"Yumiko." The stern yet gentle voice of Hayama pierced through the blanket of silence that enveloped the classroom.

I took a peek and saw Hayama subduing the raging Miura with just a hand on her shoulder. How terrifyingly powerful.

Miura, as per Hayama's request, backed off, only giving me a sidelong glare in the process. Actually, I kinda wanted her back and beat my face in.

Anything was better than talking to this fake after all. Wait; actually, he's a fake Hayama that is also fake to the core as well. Hah, double layered, huh? That's even worse.

He approached me as inconspicuously as possible, thought it was impossible, considering the only one moving around was him. I watched get right in front of me before he coughed to get my attention.

I might as well humor him.

"What?"

"Hikitani-kun," Hayama began in a neutral tone, "Sorry for Yumiko's behavior there. She's just worried for Yui, that's all."

I purposefully let out a huge sigh to annoy him, which it did but it seemed to annoy Miura more than Hayama himself.

"Anyway," He looked back at Miura, causing her to back down, "I was thinking that you might have some ideas as to where she is. As you can see, she's absent right now and she's usually a punctual student."

With faux nonchalance, I replied.

"Nope."

"Nothing?"

"None whatsoever."

Hayama let out a disappointed sigh, "I see. Sorry for bothering you then."

 _You'd better be._

"Come on, Yumiko. Let's go back."

The girl in question glared at me before submitting to Hayama's request, though I could faintly hear her arguing that I did know Yuigahama's whereabouts.

Does this girl need someone to repeat to her that I have nothing to do with Yuigahama?

Jeez, what a bother.

Before long, Hiratsuka-sensei came in, took attendance and sure enough, Yuigahama was still absent when homeroom ended. The other classes were fine and dandy.

Well, I say that but it was hard to listen to the lecture when a certain Queen Bee was staring a hole right through me.

When the school day ended and everyone was packing their back, I noticed Hiratsuka-sensei inconspicuously hanging out by the classroom's door.

She must be up to something again.

In an attempt to not get roped into some weird scheme again, I timed my exit with the other students', just so that I could blend in with them.

Unfortunately, Stealth Hikki doesn't work when someone is actively looking for you.

And suffice to say, Hiratsuka-sensei was looking for me.

As soon as I left the classroom, I felt a hand pulling me aside. Said hand belonged to Hiratsuka-sensei, who was sporting a rather amused grin.

"You really think I wouldn't catch you?"

"Not really."

My blunt response visibly caught her off guard as she attempted to compose herself soon after.

"So, what do you want?"

"Straight to the point as always, huh?" Seeing my grumpy face, she immediately switched her tone, "Okay, okay, don't glare at me. Jeez."

I glared at her even harder. How dare she stop me from completing my activities as part of the go-home club?

"I was just wondering if you know what happened to Yuigahama," _That again? Come on,_ "I called her house's number but no one's picking up."

"How should I know?" I shrugged apathetically, "I'm not her."

"Riiiiiight. So you have any ideas why she's absent and not coming to school?" Hiratsuka-sensei pressed on, even leaning forward to show her dominance.

"None."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Zero ideas?" She leaned forward even more.

"Zero."

Did she not know of a person's breathing space? It's at least a 50 cm radius!

"Are you sure?"

"…I'm sure."

She suddenly grinned and back off, pointing a finger at me.

"Aha! You hesitated!" Making an extremely satisfied face, she continued with her arms crossed proudly, "That means you _do_ know something."

"Anyone would find it hard to speak when their personal space is being invaded," I responded matter-of-factly.

"Aww, come on! I want to be a detective for a day."

 _Be an adult first, sensei._

I didn't voice my thoughts, in fear of her Fist of Whatever.

"Argh, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you but I forgot…" She put her hand on her chin in a thoughtful manner, but I found it incredibly annoying, since she was delaying my inevitable return home.

Naturally, I posed the question.

"Sensei, can I go home now?"

Hiratsuka-sensei responded with a confused look.

I responded in kind with an annoyed glare.

"Home? What about club activ-!" She suddenly tapped her fist on her palm, as if reaching an epiphany, "That's right! I wanted to ask you about the Service Club!"

"Huh?"

"I mean, just this morning, Yukinoshita came up to me and asked if she can skip club activities for a whole week! Isn't that crazy?"

"Not really…" I muttered to myself rather than to her.

"I know right?!" She ignored me, as per usual, "And when I asked for the reason, she just told me that she isn't feeling well."

"Okay?"

"Which leads me to one conclusion." Hiratsuka-sensei exclaimed as she held one finger up high.

"Which is?"

"You know something, don't you?"

I sighed. It was a big sigh. It was a sigh accumulated from all the crap I had to put up with today. One could immediately tell the frustration and annoyance laced with that simple exhale of air.

"Sensei, you're a literature teacher, aren't you?"

"Indeed, I am."

"Then how difficult is it to understand that I don't know what happened with Yukinoshita?" Seeing her disbelieving face, I continued, "We're not even in the same class so if anyone knows anything, it's you."

"O-Oh…so you don't know anything?" She asked again.

I massaged my temple in exasperation, "No, sensei, I do not know anything."

"I see, I see…" Taking a moment to think to herself, she finally waved me off, "Alright, I believe you. You can go home now."

I had to stop myself from giving her a sarcastic 'Thank you' as I slightly bowed before walking towards the exit.

In no time at all, I arrived home. Rather quickly, if I was honest. Normally, by the time I got home, the sun would already start setting and the sky would turn orange.

Well, after all, I didn't have any club activities for the day since our one and only club president decided to cancel it. Oh well, I can't argue with her, can i? She **is** the club president after all.

The house was quiet, and for the first time in forever, it was empty. Normally, Komachi would be sitting on the couch, watching TV or eating something.

…Using 'Komachi' to describe that brat was too demeaning for the actual Komachi. Perhaps, I should think up of synonyms instead. Something like trash, scum, sidewalk gum and all those other stuff.

But I'll deal with that later.

Throughout the evening, there was no sign of life besides that of my own. Occasionally, Kamakura strolled through but he ignored me. Even as I finished dinner and headed towards my room, that trash of a 'sister' was nowhere to be seen.

Not that I give a crap about her though. She could be starving out there somewhere and it'll be her own fault for being a stubborn brat. So really, she would be at fault, not me.

Yet, as I closed my eyes and escaped to dreamland, a voice in the back of my head kept on nagging me about something incomprehensible.

It was a restless night for me.

* * *

The next few days passed by normally. If you consider the sidelong glances and harsh whispers from the rest of the class 'normal'.

Somehow, those idiots were convinced that I had something to do with Yuigahama's absence. And even though Hayama appeared to have given up on the topic, his gaze and behavior told me otherwise.

Not that I care though. They didn't bother me so I won't bother them.

However, there was something way too strange for me to pass off as stupid idiots being stupid idiots.

It first happened on Tuesday, the day immediately after the first day of our return to school. Coincidentally, it was also the second day that that little scumbag of a sister wasn't in my sight.

I wordlessly thanked the benevolent gods above.

The other students in the class were as youthful as ever. And I use that term very loosely.

Miura glaring at me. Tobe and his friends gossiping behind my back. Hayama giving me suspicious gazes every few seconds.

That's right. That was their epitome of youth. The peak of their rose colored life.

I found nothing wrong with that. Sure, the way they were living their lives were stupid and inefficient but I didn't mind. I wasn't the one wasting my days away.

But during lunchtime, as I was packing away my books, I noticed that a piece of paper somehow slipped out of one of my textbooks. It didn't look like scrap paper. As a matter of fact, it seemed rather well written.

For curiosity's sake, I picked it up.

The content was dubious at best, suspicious at worst. If someone from the class saw this, they would immediately assume that it was a love letter.

That assumption is totally and utterly wrong.

It wasn't a love letter nor was it a challenge letter, not that it would matter either way, but it was just a piece of paper with a simple command written on it.

' _Meet me in class at 5:30'_

As soon as I had read that, I immediately turned around to face the other students, who were already departing. I couldn't find a single one who would send me this type of letter.

My mind immediately thought of it as a prank, and as such, I treated it as one.

Which meant that I left the school as soon as the final bell rung. I mean; what kind of idiot waits around about an hour after school for no discernible reason?

But, the letters never ceased.

The next day, I found one in my shoes locker. I discarded it as lunch came.

The day after that, a letter fell out of one of my gym clothes. How did someone even put a letter into my clothes; I'll never know, and I didn't want to, so like the other letters, I threw it away.

The last straw, though, was during Friday. The supposed haven for students and to a smaller extent, teachers. However, I found it to be no haven as, once again, a letter appeared.

But unlike the other letters, this one had a different content. Instead of telling me to wait in the class, it told me to instead wait in a place that I would rather avoid all together.

The location of the rendezvous was the Service Club.

My mind immediately thought about the person who did this. Yukiwhatshername? Surely, she wouldn't be that stupid to call me out after that day. Yuigawhatever wasn't at school so it couldn't be her.

So, who was it?

Inexplicably, I found my feet dragging itself towards the practically empty building that the Service club room resides in. I'd rather spend my day at home, in comfort but something compelled me. Pulled me. Forced me, if you will.

In mere minutes, I found myself face to face with that peculiar room.

I wanted to turn back, but my legs didn't obey my command. With no one else in the hallway, it was easy for me to collect my thoughts.

The sound of a tired sigh filled the empty hallway.

If I want this stalker/challenger/secret admirer to stop annoying me, I might as well confront him or her. If anything goes south, I'll just run. I'm pretty confident in my legs after all.

The door squeaked unceremoniously as I slid it aside, causing me to come face to face with my 'stalker'; or rather, face to back.

It was a woman, with long black hair, sitting on an office chair with her back turned towards me. Last time I checked, the Service club didn't have any office chairs so it was safe to assume to that she was no part of this club.

Once again, there was a squeak as the woman spun her chair around, facing me in the process.

I grimaced.

She smirked.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Hikigaya."

I had to rub my face, just to not show my obvious exasperation. Wordlessly, I deposited my bag on the table before taking a seat. I was way too tired to be taking this in.

"So…what's with the random French, Hiratsuka-sensei?"

The woman in question only laughed heartily, almost falling over her chair in the process. I wish she actually did though.

"Come on, I was just practicing," She wiped away a non-existent tear, "Besides, that was pitch perfect French, don't you think?"

"Whatever. But did you write this and why?" I pulled out the letter that told me to come here. Who was I kidding? Of course, she did.

"Of course; do you know how hard it is to find the right time to sneak in a letter into your student's gym bag? Trust me, it almost wasn't worth it."

"You're gonna tell me why you call me here or what?" I tried to steer her back to the main subject, though it was a bit apparent that I was annoyed.

"Fine, fine," She leaned back into her office chair; how she snuck that thing in here was a mystery of its own, "I'll cut the story short."

My ears perked up at 'short'.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Something can be a lot of things. For examp-,"

"I'm talking about Yuigahama and Yukinoshita." Hiratsuka-sensei interrupted me, her voice grave and deadly.

I gave a short scoff.

"Them? How should I know what happens to them?"

"Hikigaya," She uttered slowly, "I'm a teacher, y'know and a very good one at that. I can tell when one of my students is worried."

She immediately shrugged afterwards, "Plus, I did a little digging and what d'ya know; you _did_ do something to those two."

Digging? She meant gathering information, right? Tch, what a self-centered teacher. If you don't respect me, at least respect my private life.

"If by something, you mean accompanying those two to an atrocious summer festival, then yeah, I did _something_."

I intended to mock her for her word choice but she didn't so much as flinch at my comment. The chair squeaked uncomfortably as I unconsciously sat up straight.

"Come on, at least, come up with a better diversion," She shook her head, "Your lying game is getting weaker and weaker, Hikigaya."

My brows creased together, my lips contorted itself into a frown. I was pissed. Who does she think she is? Certainly not my teacher. I'll take my overbearing, forceful teacher any day over this…this…whoever this is.

"You said some awful things to them, didn't you?"

Blunt.

Straight to the point.

A forward jab.

That was what Hiratsuka-sensei did to me. She wasted no time beating around the bush. Who could've tipped her off? No one was witness to Yuigahama and Yukinoshita's true colors except for me so no one could've tipped her off.

 _What would be the right course of action?_

"And what if I did?"

Screw it all. I don't care.

I sneered at her, "What are you going to do? Hit me? Or wait, wait, wait. Better yet, are you going to put me in that dangerous 'armbar' of yours?"

Not backing down was my only option. This woman wasn't the same as Hiratsuka-sensei; that I knew so I couldn't just back down like I normally do with the actual Hiratsuka-sensei.

And it worked.

At least, I think it did. She didn't respond for a solid five seconds. Not only that but she had a shocked expression adorned on her face.

Then, in a span of half a second, her face turned serious.

"You shouldn't be joking like that, Hikigaya." She started to berate me.

 _Huh?_

"The Fujiwara armbar is a very dangerous combat technique if applied properly. It could seriously injure someone!"

"What."

Standing in front of me was a woman well over her thirties, yet she still talked as if there was still a huge amount of youth and vigor inside of her body. If I was taken aback by her actions, I certainly didn't try to hide it. Who could?

"Gahahaha!" Hiratsuka-sensei immediately gave a jolly laugh, making light of the conversation, "That was a good line, right? I've always wanted to say that."

Taking a deep breath, as if preparing to fight or flee, I asked a simple question. Just a question from a student to his teacher.

"So…" She turned at the sound of my voice, "You're not…going to hit me?"

As if she saw a ghost, her face turned pale and her body became rigid.

"And risk getting a lawsuit?!" She half-shouted at me frantically, "I'm a teacher, not a CEO of a multi-million dollar company, you know!"

Somehow, mixed in between all the illogical and frankly stupid happenings were more stupid happenings. My supposed little sister was a spoiled brat, two of my club members being backstabbing pieces of crap, and now…

Hiratsuka-sensei.

It was difficult to describe her then but it was even more so now. It wasn't like she and I were close friends back then. Our relationship was one of student and teacher. It was professional. During some occasion, it might be amicable but other than that, it was nothing short of professional.

This woman in front of me was talking as if I was an old drinking friend.

I don't want this.

I don't want something so superficial, so fake that it would crumble under pressure. This Hiratsuka-sensei was the embodiment of that. She wasn't my teacher or my advisor. Right now, she was just a stranger.

Instead, I want something strong, something durable that would stand the test of time. Something that will never crack under pressure or falter under stress.

I want…

I want something…

"Sensei," I called out softly to her.

"Yeah?" She responded in kind.

"I don't like you."

She gave me a very confused look but at this point, I was too tired to even react to anything. I was simply too jaded.

Afterwards, I kept my head held low. Was it to avoid her inevitable look of disappointment and hurt? No, probably not. I couldn't care less about this world, much less about its Hiratsuka Shizuka.

The silence blanketed over the Service club room like a thick fog, daring anyone or anything to cut through it. Normally, I would be comfortable with silence.

But even after I gave my honest opinion to Hiratsuka-sensei, she still hadn't said a thing.

Curiosity eventually got the better of me as I took a peek underneath my bangs of hair.

She was smiling.

A big smile at that.

It was as if she'd never heard what I had said earlier.

I was even more confused then.

Then, _she_ was the one that broke the silence.

"What's wrong?" She asked, a smile still on her face. It wasn't a mocking smile nor was it a taunting one. It was like that of a parent. A maternal figure.

I quickly narrowed my eyes.

"Didn't you hear what I say?" Annoyance was apparent in my voice at this point in time, and I was too fed up to even try and stop it.

"Oh, I heard ya loud and clear," She waved me off, still wearing that dumb smile, "I was just wondering if that's all you have to say."

 _Of course not._

Hiratsuka-sensei crossed her arm and huffed out a puff of air, "I mean, it's pretty rare to see you talking smack to someone face to face, y'know."

"Well, it's not my fault," I immediately retorted, "Insulting a teacher would get me into trouble."

"Insult?"

 _How can she still play dumb?_

My teeth grinded against one another uncomfortably as I felt a familiar heat rising up in me, just like the time with the fake 'Komachi'.

Eventually, the dam had to burst.

"Honestly, I'm just pissed off!" My voice grew a bit louder, frustration apparent in them, "How are you even keeping your job? If I was the principal, I would've fired you a long time ago!"

In response, Hiratsuka-sensei merely rubbed her chin, her face pondering my words.

"True that," She didn't even try to defend herself; "I guess I'm just too good at teaching modern literature, aren't I?"

That last part was filled with moxie and ego. And it irritated me to no end.

"And that's what annoys me!"

I was a bit surprised at my own outburst, and guessing by her face, the woman sitting in front of me was too.

Seeing my chance to continue without interruption, I seized it.

"You're a goddamn literature teacher! So why are you wearing a labcoat?!" It was a good thing that no one was in the hallway, otherwise we would really have a messed up scene here, "Are you trying to cosplay?! Don't you realize you're a bit too old for that?"

I could actually my feel throat burning up. Never thought shouting would be this draining. Then again, I have been doing a lot of that in the past week.

"And not to mention your smoking habits! What kind of self-respecting teacher smoke? Are you some kind of addict? Just why-why are you…"

But for one deranged reason or the other, she still kept smiling at me. That god awful smile was still in myvision.

And it confused me.

I don't like being confused.

My words couldn't come out. It was like being in front of Medusa. I was petrified to the core.

I did the only thing I could and turn my stare on to the floor, gripping my own face for some sort of answer. My breaths were out of rhythm and I could feel my heart beating faster. I'm way too tired, too confused...

Hiratsuka-sensei didn't speak up at my actions, and I wordlessly thanked her for that. At least, the fakes of this world know not to take advantage of a confused person.

The sound of shoes colliding against the linoleum floor filled my ears but I paid it no heed. I was off in my own world, trying to get this feeling of hopelessness out of me.

What should I even say to her? What _can_ I say?

This Hiratsuka-sensei was like a brick wall, perhaps even a masochist. Was she enjoying being insulted like this? Is everyone in this twisted world this warped and perverse?

Heh, I guess I shouldn't be talking. After all, I have a pretty weird sense of humor myself. Not to mention, I'm the guy who told his 'sister' to basically die in a hellfire.

Okay, maybe not that extreme but it's pretty similar to what I said.

Then again, this sort of imagination should be expected from a guy who yelled, insulted and downplay his masochistic teacher's entire career. It's totally justified, isn't it? Of course, it is.

Speaking of which, why was Hiratsuka-sensei coming closer to me?

Ah, I saw this coming from a mile away. She's going to grab my arm, sling in over her shoulder and do a judo move on me, isn't she? Wait, maybe, she was planning putting me in a headlock. Perhaps, even a straight on punch.

Even through the gaps between my hands, I could clearly see the imposing figure of a woman approaching me. I found it hard to get a word out as my voice was constantly caught up in my throat.

That's what she wants, isn't it? For me to get confused and helpless so she can deal the final blow.

With each of her steps, my breaths quickened. I wasn't prepared for this; not for this world and definitely not for this Hiratsuka Shizuka.

 _Calm down, Hachiman. You're better than this._

But despite telling myself that lie over and over again in a span of one second, it did little to ease the turmoil in my mind. No, turmoil doesn't even begin to describe that state of my mind.

It was a fallout, a tempest and a calamity all wrapped into one perfect storm, raging violently inside my head.

My head hurt.

I didn't like it.

In a desperate attempt of self-preservation, I closed my eyes completely; at least long enough to focus on regulating my breathing again so I won't hyperventilate.

Wait, that's a great idea. If I don't see her then she can't do anything to me. It's logical. A flawless plan that can't be even more flawless if it tried. She was coming ever closer but if I close my eyes-

 _!_

"Hikigaya, your problem isn't with me, is it?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder as the soothing sound of Hiratsuka-sensei's voice rang through my ears in perfect harmony like a bell. It was as if I was in a current of cold water, clearing away any turmoil inside my mind.

This calming voice shouldn't be matching up with that unnerving smile of hers, yet, when I looked up from my self-imposed blindness, I only saw a warm smile and a tender face.

It was as if that egotistical and strange teacher was never there in the first place.

My breathing slowed down considerably as I stared ever deeper into her purple eyes. It was strangely soothing. Coupled that with her smile, it had a strange calming effect on me.

Why was I even scared of her in the first place anyway?

"Hikigaya," I snapped back to reality, "This…has something to do with Yuigahama, right?"

I didn't respond.

She tilted her head to the side, "Or maybe, it's Yukinoshita."

A long breath escaped my mouth. I didn't mean to release such an unhappy sigh but the moment I heard her name, I was reminded of that night again.

Without missing a beat, she continued with a small chuckle.

"I would still know even if you lied," Releasing her grip on my shoulder, she stood up and shrugged, "So what happened?"

Before I could even get a word out, she stopped me with her hand before walking over to the windows.

"Wait, let me guess. You were forced to go to a festival. A lively one at that," Hiratsuka-sensei proceeded in a deep voice, "Food stalls, game stalls, mask stalls. It had everything, and you even felt like you had fun, didn't you?"

I could only grunt in response.

"But then you overheard something awful about you," She began gesturing wildly, "From a group of people. Just so happen that one of those people is Yukinoshita. You got mad and you insulted her. Just so happened that you got so mad that you also lashed out at Yuigahama as well."

With one swift motion, Hiratsuka-sensei turned around with her hands planted firmly on her hip.

"How about that?!"

A proud look adorned her cheeky face. Cheeky is definitely a word that I would never use to describe a normal teacher, but Hiratsuka-sensei was far from normal.

Like how the hell did she get all that information?

My eyes bored into hers as I asked one simple yet effective question.

"How did you know all that?"

Smirking, she crossed her armed proudly, "What can I say? I have reliable sources."

Her sources might as well be stalking me at this point. Even though her recount of that night was detailed, there was one single piece of information that irked me the most.

"And for the records," I tried to explain myself, though to her, it might look like a child making up excuses, "I didn't insult Yukinoshita or lash out at Yuigahama. I was just being brutally honest to them."

"Sounds to me like you only focused on the 'brutal' part of that."

My eyes automatically shifted to away from her, "Well, it's not my fault that she brought it upon herself. She was basically talking trash right in front of me."

"Trash talking?" Hiratsuka-sensei said, confused, "Yukinoshita's basically a Yamato Nadeshiko. I can't possibly see her insulting someone at all."

By the tone of her voice, Hiratsuka-sensei genuinely believed that Yukinoshita Yukino is a truly nice girl. I would disagree with her, but she didn't experience it for herself.

"Then, don't you think it's strange that a perfect princess like Yukinoshita associates herself with me?" I snickered, "It's my fault for not noticing that."

"Hikigaya…"

"I should've known that nothing good ever comes out of associating with someone as popular as her. You would just get tossed to the curb eventually."

"Hikigaya." Hiratsuka said, her voice a little louder than last time.

"What?"

"Did someone else go to the festival with you three?"

I guess whoever her source was didn't let her know of our travel companion.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Who was it?"

Since I don't know if Hiratsuka-sensei remembers or even know who Haruno was, I decided to play it safe.

"Yukinoshita's sister."

Immediately after I uttered those words, I could see the colors draining out of Hiratsuka-sensei's face. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

"You mean Haruno?" She asked for affirmation.

A nod was my simple response.

"As in…Yukinoshita Haruno?"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, "…yeah."

"Like…" She brought both her hands up to her neck area before gesturing, "Yukinoshita Haruno with this sort of hair cut?"

"Well, yeah," Annoyed, I hurried her up, "What's your point?"

An unnaturally exasperated sigh escaped from her lips as she covered her entire face with her hands.

Two seconds later, a groan could be heard underneath those hands.

It sounded like something died.

"…What?"

When Hiratsuka-sensei released the grip on her face, she asked somberly.

"Did she pull you off to some random place and give you a little talk?"

I was a bit surprised she managed to guess that part.

"Basically, yeah."

"And you listened to her?"

"I did?" I was a bit on edge at the way she was acting right now. No sane teacher would ever act this way.

"Goddamit, why?!" She shouted loudly. Hell, even I was scared she was going to break something. It was a good thing that no one was in this building this late into the evening, "Why did you listen to Haruno? I thought you're smarter than that!"

 _My teacher's officially insane._

"What are you even trying to say?"

Instead of answering, she ignored my question as fast as it was asked, "Can't you tell that she looked suspicious?"

"Are you implying that I said those awful things to Yukinoshita because of her?" What a ludicrous assumption. It was my observation of Yukinoshita's backstabbing that led me to say that I said.

...well, looking back, Haruno's words might have gotten me into a foul mood.

But instead of calmly replying, Hiratsuka-sensei exclaimed even louder.

"I'm not implying! I'm stating the facts!" She rubbed her temple drearily, "She's as manipulative as a snake and as cunning as a fox. You should've seen that."

"You're saying I'm in the wrong."

"Of course, I am, and because of Haruno's words, you didn't only hurt Yukinoshita but Yuigahama as well."

I immediately stopped her, "Hold on a second. Let's say that I _am_ wrong about Yukinoshita, but Yuigahama confronted me as if I'm the party at fault. That's her fault."

"She's not wrong there," Hiratsuka-sensei piqued in snarkily.

"That's not the point," I further tried to keep her attention on the matters at hand, "The point is that **she** made me out to be the one at fault even though **she's** the one responsible in the first place."

"Hold on, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm talking about the accident," My voice lowered, "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be this way."

Despite having said that, I vaguely recalled that Yuigahama didn't have any pets so what could've caused the accident? Considering her reaction at the festival, it did happen and she was the one that caused it, but what was with this discrepancy?

"Hikigaya, you sure you're not remembering something else?"

"It's not hard to remember something that affected your high school life, y'know." I retorted with a bit of uncertainty in my voice.

It couldn't be...

 _This is bad. My head's starting to hurt again._

"But it's strange since…" She clasped her chin with one of her hand, "I don't have any details but…"

My ears instinctively perked up.

"Both you and Yuigahama were in a car accident that day."

…

"What?"

"Yeah and you two wound up missing the first few weeks of school or so."

I tried to keep myself calm and composed but I couldn't do it. In the end, was it my fault? A logical response would be 'Yes, it is' but some other part of my brain argued otherwise.

I shouldn't be feeling bad for telling how something is the way it is.

Then again, I was the fool that expected this world's events to coincide with my world's.

Even though I kept telling myself that this isn't my world, part of me believed otherwise. I had inadvertently forced my viewpoints on to others.

And for that, other people suffered.

"And besides," Hiratsuka-sensei spoke up, "You only became this cynical in your second year. You know, before, you wouldn't even say a word to me, much less rant about your feelings."

Ah, I knew it.

That was the final nail in the coffin for me.

Everything really was different here. Yukinoshita being a spoiled, perfect princess while Yuigahama looks like she's acting as a generic moe-anime tsundere? How did I even come to the conclusion that everything was going to be the same?

Even the Hikigaya Hachiman of this world is different.

So, while I would like to blame someone else for my mishaps, I really couldn't. I was pretentious and presumptuous and it backfired marvelously in my own face. I basically ruined this world's Hachiman's relationships.

What was it that I said back then? If you don't like this world, then become the god of a new one?

Pfft, what a bunch of bull crap.

"Y'know, Hikigaya…" I involuntarily focused on to the older woman in front of me, "There's nothing a simple apology won't fix, you know."

I scoffed at her feeble attempts at making me own up to my supposed mistakes. Even she knew that was redundant. At least, give me a break, damn it.

Besides, after what I said, it'll take more than a simple 'Sorry' or 'My bad' to salvage our fragile acquaintanceship. Or well, what's left of it anyway.

Then as if she'd read my mind, Hiratsuka-sensei continued, "If that doesn't work, then there's always the dogeza."

"At this point, I don't think even committing seppuku would do anything," I chimed in.

"You have a point here," She remarked unhelpfully, "Well, you won't know till you try, right?"

Her tone was cheery despite the graveness of the situation. She never had to go through this experience so I don't expect her to empathize with me at all.

"Why try if you know you'll fail anyway?" I sighed before continuing, "Honestly, I'd rathe-,"

"Then, what do you want to do, Hikigaya?" Hiratsuka-sensei cut me off, asking me with no hesitation in her voice.

What did I want to do? Simple, I wanted to get out of here, yet, I also wanted to mend any broken holes in this already worn down relationship.

That's like having your cake and eating it too.

However, there was one simple solution.

Since I couldn't bear the confusion of this conundrum any longer, I should just separate myself from it. Right, a realistic solution for a pragmatic person such as myself. Even if I couldn't fix anything, helping to lift this burden off the other Hachiman's shoulders was the least I could do.

"Sensei," I called out to her, even though I knew she was listening, "Right now, I'm confused, sick and tired of everything. That's why…"

It was for the best. For this world's Yuigahama, Yukinoshita and Hachiman.

But ultimately, it was a way out for me too.

"I want to quit the Service Club."

...

"Denied!"

Just as fast as my statement was made, Hiratsuka-sensei responded just as fast, if not quicker, by crossing her arms into an 'X'.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm done with this club," I tried to bargain my way out, "Even you know that it's better for me and better for everyone!"

"Hikigaya. Tsk, tsk, tsk," Wagging her finger in the air haughtily, she continued, "My hearing is as young as ever, y'know, and besides, your request is still denied."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not a member of the Service club so obviously, I can't accept your request." That familiar shit-eating grin returned to Hiratsuka-sensei's face.

 _She wants to play that card? Fine._

"You're the club advisor so you have as much power as anyone regarding this club," I stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Alright, fine, you got me," She raised both of her hands mockingly, as if surrendering, "Under one condition."

"And what is that?"

"If you make up with both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, then you can do whatever you want with your status as a Service club member. How's that?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. Obviously, our relationship was shredded apart already, but if I somehow managed to salvage it, then at least, the Hachiman of this world could have something to look forward to, if he ever comes back.

...if he can come back.

Well, it doesn't even matter if I can't return to my own world. If I have to live in this world, I might as well have a clear slate with those two, no matter how implausible that idea may seem.

With that in mind…

"Deal." Was my simple response.

Hiratsuka-sensei responded with a smile before tossing something towards me. It bounced off my head harmlessly before landing in my open hands.

"Let me ask you something, Hikigaya," She returned once more to the windows, looking outside, "What's the difference between an acquaintance and a friend?"

"…"

"Pretty simple actually. A friend is someone you can argue with and still call a friend. Someone you strive with and wade through all of your problems together before coming out victorious in the end. Only then, can you call someone a friend."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

With a jolly laugh, she replied, "Nah, just more of my philosophical nonsense."

"Right…"

Seeing as she wasn't going to talk anymore, I promptly picked up my bag before heading towards the door. Before I left the room, however, I turned my attention towards the thing she threw to me.

It was a crumpled up piece of paper. On it were two addresses.

It didn't take long to figure out where those addresses would lead to.

Sliding the door open, I felt a rush of cold air hitting my face. Autumn had arrived after all, but my feelings were anything but cold. It was getting a bit dark, since the sun was setting and all so I needed to rush if I were to get where I'm supposed to be.

Before I did, I turned back towards the empty, sunlight filled room, where one woman was admiring the sunset.

"Hiratsuka-sensei," I called out to her, perhaps with a bit too much gusto.

She turned to me, hands in her labcoat's pocket and a smile on her face.

"…Thanks."

With that out of the way, I ran out as fast as my legs could carry me. I could hear her shouting about not getting on the wrong train, but I dismissed it. She didn't have to worry that much, jeez.

Even with the world flipped entirely on its head, Hiratsuka Shizuka is still a great teacher.

* * *

 **As always, if you spot any wrong grammar/spellings, shoot me a PM or something. I'll take care of it as fast as humanly possible. See ya.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Even Hikigaya Hachiman Can Be Pathetic**

 _What am I doing here?_

That was the simple question that I asked myself as I stood outside an apartment complex. It was a simple complex, with gates, doors, windows; typical things that normal apartment complexes have.

But I knew that it was anything but normal.

I held a small piece of paper in my hand as I darted my eyes back and forth between the address scrawled on the paper and the address inscribed near the apartment complex. It was the same.

To be honest, I felt like a kid who was too early to a field trip, therefore having to wait for others to come. Even though the sun had begun its descent to make way for night, I still hesitated in going in.

Wait, the only person that I knew inside this condo is Yuigahama, and if I tried to contact her using the telecom then she will obviously refuse. The only other method of getting into her apartment was to convince the security guy to let me through.

I'd wager that he probably won't let me through.

"Oh my, is that you, Hikigaya-kun?"

I turned to the person who mentioned my name. Upon seeing the woman who had called out to me, I struggled to respond.

"…."

That person smiled, and walked over to me, her hair bun bouncing slightly as she did so.

"It's been so long since I've seen you," She said, "Ah, you've grown since then."

Judging from the face and the familiar hair style, I could only assume-no, conclude that the woman in front of me was none other than Yuigahama's mom.

"Good evening…Yuigahama-san." I greeted hesitantly.

After all, I didn't really know her, though I guess the Hachiman of this world is the one that actually knows her. That accident must've acquainted her with this world's Hachiman.

She didn't notice this as she just smiled at my gesture. I didn't say anything afterwards in fear of awkwardness.

While this was a great chance for her to take me in to her house so that I could meet Yuigahama, there was also the chance that Yuigahama told her what I did, which would only be more detrimental to what I was here for.

Luckily, that wasn't the case.

"Did you come here to meet Yui?"

Without thinking, I blurted out.

"Y-Yes!"

"I see," Yuigahama-san said with a smile, "Then, let's go, shall we?"

I nodded and followed her wordlessly as she went through the sliding doors. The security guard gave me a suspicious glance, though I guess it couldn't be helped.

When we arrived in front of her apartment, I was actually nervous about entering. What would I say? Once again, I let my emotions get the better of me as I rushed here without forming a proper plan.

The door squeaked unceremoniously as Yuigahama-san pushed it aside, gesturing me to come in. I complied silently.

It was a rather large place. If I had to guess, it's probably a 3LDK apartment.

"Do you want some snacks?" Yuigahama-san asked from behind, "Or perhaps, you want to meet Yui now?"

I remembered what I came here to do, and decided that prioritizing Yuigahama was the best course of action for now.

"I would like to meet Yui now…if you don't mind."

"Of course not," She smiled as she went to the kitchen, perhaps to prepare dinner, "Her room's down the hallway, to the left. Though…"

"Though?"

For the first time since meeting her, Yuigahama-san actually frowned. The way she said 'though' gave off an eerie sense of foreboding.

"Well, I guess you would find out soon enough." She gave me a weird smile afterwards.

I took her warning with a grain of salt as I moved to Yuigahama's room. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary except for the gaudy nameplate on the door, reading 'Yui's room!'

Yuigahama's mom was probably in the kitchen right now, judging by the crinkling sound of plastic bags. I had a horrible feeling that things were about to go south soon.

I knocked on the door three times, and waited. The shuffling sounds behind the door meant that someone was coming. In preparation for the inevitable confrontation with Yuigahama, I tried a breathing technique I saw online.

It didn't help calm me down at all.

A clicking sound was made as the doorknob turned. The door was pulled inward, and I expected to see a blob of pink hair, and possibly, an annoyed face.

Instead, I got something much worse.

Komachi.

Her eyes immediately contorted into a death glare.

"Koma-"

She wasted no time in slamming the door shut. If I had been one centimeter closer, my face would've gotten bashed in.

The loud slam reverberated throughout the house harshly. It even caught the attention of Yuigahama's mom, as she rushed over to Yui's room, but not before looking at me worriedly.

"I assume you'd already met her." She said, obviously referring to Komachi.

I merely nodded.

"She's been like that ever since she came here. She didn't even tell me what's wrong…"

I wanted to apologize so badly at that moment, but I couldn't. I had completely forgotten about Komachi; about what I said to her or did to her. Everything about Komachi was forgotten.

I'm pathetic.

This time, it was Yuigahama's mom who knocked on Yuigahama's door. Once again, the doorknob was twisted before the person behind it was revealed.

It was Komachi again.

"What the hell do you-," Komachi stopped herself short of cursing, now that she was face to face with Yuigahama-san.

"Komachi-chan," Yuigahama-san said softly, "Do you want to help me in the kitchen? I could use some extra hands for dinner, you know."

Almost instantly, all traces of vitriol that Komachi showed earlier vanished, replaced by a docile voice.

"…sure."

Yuigahama-san smiled before gesturing me to go into Yuigahama's room.

But before she could take Komachi away, the little girl immediately turned towards me and pointed an accusing finger.

"Yuimama-san."

 _Yuimama-san?_

"What about him?"

"Hmm? What about Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yeah. _Him._ I don't trust him with Yui-san."

"Come on, Komachi-chan. Trust your big brother."

All that did was further Komachi's hatred towards me, evident by her eyes narrowing into a glare.

"Besides," Yui _mama_ -san spoke in a calm tone, "Even if he tries something, Yui can take care of him, easy-peasy!"

Take care of me? That sounded way too cruel.

With a disgruntled face, and a loud grunt, Komachi walked off in a huff towards the kitchen with Yuimama-san following her. She even took the time to turn around slightly just to glare at me.

I took a deep breath. I was finally alone with Yuigahama.

In order to respect her privacy, I knocked on the door once more. Not two seconds later, a voice was heard.

"Come in." was all it said.

I opened the door just enough to see the reason why I came here in the first place. That same reason was nonchalantly lying on her bed, with a couple of notebooks sprawled in front of her.

Was she doing homework?

"Hey…"

It was all I could say without making things awkward. However, despite my best efforts, Yuighama continued her work without so much as a glance at me.

"Hey." She finally said.

I didn't say anything at that instant. It felt too stifling to. Not to mention, Yuigahama was basically ignoring me, opting to instead write in her notebooks. It was as if I wasn't even here.

"Yuiga-,"

"Perfect timing, Hikki. I wanna ask you something," Yuigahama cut me off, handing me a notebook.

Despite doubting her intentions, I took it in my hand. Looked like she was doing modern literature homework, huh.

"About that part. Does it want us to take references from any works of literature?" asked Yuigahama.

I looked over her assignment. She made some progress, but most of it was standardized introductions that can be copied straight out of a textbook.

"I think it's better to make some references to history as well. It'll get you more points that way."

"I see. Thanks." Yuigahama extended her hand towards me, gesturing for her notebook back. I complied silently.

But even after I helped her, she still focused on her homework instead of me. Isn't it common courtesy to talk to your guest? Though, in our case, I was less of a guest, and more of an intruder. An intruder who was invited to come inside.

The Japanese language is so inconvenient sometimes.

I stood next to her bed for a good minute or so before attempting to speak again. This time, with a little more force behind my voice.

"Look, Yuigaha-,"

"By the way, did the teachers give us any projects? I couldn't come yesterday."

 _This woman…_

"Not really," I replied, "There was some homework though, if you're curious."

"Argh, damn it. Why do they hate us so much? I mean, seriously, why?" Yuigahama whined, ruffling up her hair in frustration.

She was doing this on purpose, wasn't she?

Just like before, she ignored me again. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of her pencil scribbling on paper. And meanwhile, I just stood there like a mannequin. A very annoyed mannequin.

"By the way, Hikki."

"What?"

"You're super weird today." said Yuigahama simply.

"Hah?"

"Like, what the hell are doing standing there for? It's really weird," Yuigahama made a disgusted face, "Take a cushion and sit somewhere already. Preferably someplace where I can't see you."

"Gee, thanks a lot." I replied sarcastically, but Yuigahama didn't react.

"Sure, whatever."

In the end, I had opted to sit just close enough to Yuigahama to talk to her, but not close enough that she could see me, ergo, I sat beside her bed.

She didn't complain when I sat down so it wasn't a problem at all.

Once again, the only sound in the room was Yuigahama's pencil tapping on her notebook, and the occasional turning of paper. Deciding that wasting anymore time would be incredibly pointless, I spoke up.

"Yuigahama." For the first time in forever, I managed to get out her name without her interrupting me.

"What? You're here to apologize or something?"

Straight to the point, I see…but I didn't. It made it easier for me to talk.

"Well, basically. I want to make it up to you."

Yuigahama looked at me dubiously, "You're gonna let me verbally eviscerate you in front of your own family then?"

I was genuinely surprised. No, not at Yuigahama's surprising vocabulary, but rather, at her bluntness.

Though I guess that it was justified.

"I just want to us to have a clean slate. To start over from being acquaintances. No more hatred, no more trash-talking. "

"I see," said Yuigahama with no care, "Okay then, I forgive you."

"Heh, I knew you'd say-wait what."

I whipped my head to look at Yuigahama, but the moment I did so, the sight of creamy white skin greeted my vision. In no time at all, I turned back to my original position.

What the hell? Why was she so defenseless?

You'd think that after what I'd said to her, she would have more reservations around me, but no. This woman has no shame whatsoever. What kind of woman wears hotpants and a t-shirt when a guy is visiting? At least, wear actual pants, damn it.

Judging by the shuffling sounds, I concluded that she was changing her position. One quick glance confirmed that Yuigahama had finally changed her position to a…safer one.

Seriously, my heart's going to give out at this rate.

"What? Surprised that I said that?" She asked in a mocking tone.

"…yeah."

"Look. I confronted you when you weren't in the best of mood."

I chuckled dryly. "Oh, you had no idea."

"Still, I won't apologize to you so you don't need to apologize to me either." said Yuigahama.

"Are you sure? I'd understand if you're still mad."

"I'm not mad and I don't need your apology," Yuigahama said, a bit too harshly, "But you still need to apologize though."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "So which is it?"

In response, Yuigahama looked at me in disappointment. It wasn't my fault. One second, she said that I didn't need to apologize; and the next, she completely flip-flopped.

"No, not to me, you dolt. To Komachi-chan and Yukinon."

 _Komachi…_

"What was Komachi doing here?" I asked despite knowing the answer.

"She needed to be away from you," Yuigahama answered, "After what you said to her, it'd be a miracle for her to see your face again. I heard everything from her, y'know."

I bit my lips. Why did I forget about Komachi? To this world's Hachiman, she might be the most important person to him, considering that before he would know Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, Komachi was the only one by his side.

And I completely ruined it for him.

"And you can't just try to 'start over' with her again. You can't be acquaintances with your own family, y'know."

I gave a crude chuckle.

"At this point, I don't think starting over is even possible."

Even without looking at her, I could feel Yui's intense gaze onto the back of my head.

"Are you giving up already?"

"…"

"Oh my god, you nincompoop!"

As she shouted, I could feel the distinct sensation of pain shooting through my head. No, it wasn't her voice doing that. In fact, it was a due to her grinding my head with her powerful fists, a gesture that I was very familiar with.

Since…I used to do it with my own sister…

"Are you an idiot? A fool? A dumbass?!" Yuigahama listed on as she kept on drilling my head with her knuckles, "I mean, you came all the way here just to back out and sulk? The hell's wrong with you?!"

Prying off her fists off my aching head, I turned to Yuigahama with a scowl on my face.

"That hurts, jeez…" I rubbed the sore spot before noticing Yuigahama's expectant look. I turned away sheepishly, "Besides, I initially came here to visit you."

"E-Eh?" Yuigahama let out a gasp before coughing, "Did you just spit out a clichéd line like that? Gross! Like, seriously gross!"

"I'm not trying to be gross. I just didn't think Komachi would be here of all places…"

She gave me an incredulous glare before responding.

"If you're willing to have a clean slate with me, why can't you do the same with Komachi-chan?"

"It's different." I replied.

"How? You talked shit to the both of us even though we were worried about you, and never even tried to put the blame on you, yet somehow, my case is different from hers? Are you joking?" Yuigahama ranted in a very un-Yuigahama like fashion.

It was so quick and sudden that I had a hard time listening to her.

But when she appeared to have calmed down a bit, I asked a simple question.

"You're actually mad, aren't you?"

"No, of course not," Came her obvious lie, "The only one who's mad here is Komachi-chan. You should've apologized to her before even talking to me."

Ignoring her obvious attempts to not sound angry, I replied. "If she had given me the time of day, I would've done so."

"You're not trying hard enough," said Yuigahama as she shifted around to be closer to me, "She's not _that_ mad about what you said."

"…"

"Okay, she is totally mad that you basically said you never wanted to be her brother, but that's beside the point!"

I resisted the urge to let out a sigh, "So then, the point is?"

"She's mad because you said what you said," Pointing an accusing finger at me, she continued, "AND, because you broke your promise."

"Promise?"

"Wait…" Yuigahama looked at me, confused, "You don't even remember?"

"Can't say I do." I replied, scratching my head nervously. Did I make a life-changing promise with Komachi at one point? If so, I can't think of any point in time where I would have to take such an action though.

With a facepalm and a disappointed sigh, Yuigahama said.

"Oh god, you're really one pathetic man."

As much as I would want to retort to that comment, I'd rather not. Because it was true to some degree. I was pathetic. I'm probably still pathetic to this very moment, but even so, this situation was perfect for me.

The promise that I had supposedly made with Komachi must've happened when this world's Hachiman was still here; still here when _I_ wasn't here to make a mess of things. I just hope he doesn't do the same things I did here.

Perhaps, I was being a bit paranoid, but even though Hiratsuka-sensei told me the gist of what happened, I still want to hear it from Yuigahama's own mouth. In essence, one could say that it was the final puzzle piece for me to understand the relationships of this world's Hachiman.

Jeez, since when have I become so shallow that I want to dig deeper into another person's relationships. Even though, that other person is technically me…

"Yuigahama," I quickly caught her attention, "If you don't mind, can you tell me what that promise was?"

She gave me a disgusted look in return, "You really are one pathetic man."

"You don't have to say it twice, you know."

"Whatever," She waved off my complaint before sporting a contemplative look on her face, "Alright…you remembered what happened on our first day of high school?"

I chose my words carefully, "I got into an accident?"

"Wrong." Yuigahama made a cross with her arms, " _We_ got into an accident, you bozo."

The way she said it so nonchalantly really irked me. Like, couldn't you be a little bit more sensitive, Yuigahama? Well, I'm hardly the one to talk about sensitivity though.

"…how?"

"You serious?"

A hard glare came my way.

I kept quiet, which in turn, made Yuigahama relent.

"Fine, don't look at me like that," She rubbed her head, possibly recalling her memories, "Argh, jeez, making a girl remember all this stuff. How low can you get?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize either; it's weird…" She trailed off before continuing, "I don't even know why you need to know all of this again."

Way to make me feel guilty again, Yuigahama.

"So anyway, that morning…"

I began focusing on her words.

"I was taking a morning walk alone on the streets. I think it was very early in the morning-Ah! It was early in spring as well. I don't even think the Sakura blossoms bloomed yet at the time."

"Alone? You didn't have any pets?" I asked.

"I told you already; I never had one."

I nodded, unknowingly leaning closer. It was a habit of mine whenever I found something really interesting; whether it'd be games or TV shows, I would-without fail- lean in whenever my attention was caught.

"Moving on; So, I was walking, yeah? And well, I was kinda stupid…"

"Uh huh." I refrained from making a comment about the last part of her statement.

"Y'know, I like listening to music and all. So, on that day, I had my earbuds on…"

For one reason or another, Yuigahama's voice began to soften. I initially thought that the incident was too shocking for her or it brought up bad memories, but that wasn't the case as I could still hear her mumbling.

However, her voice was so low that I had to lean it closer. Not a problem; I was already doing that anyway. Through my focus, I could hear her muttering something about sidewalks, but I couldn't quite make it out.

So I asked her.

"What?"

It is said that an average human's reaction time is about 0.25 seconds. If that's the case, then I must be inhumane, a Superman.

Because the moment I popped a simple Wh- question, she swung her right leg at me.

With my instincts and pure physical ability alone, I was able to evade her strike, effectively putting some distance between us.

With flustered cheeks, she exclaimed.

"What the hell were you doing?!"

"No," I gave her an incredulous look, "What the hell were _you_ doing?"

"You were trying to peep! You peep!"

Brushing aside her incorrect use of the word 'Peep', I tried to calm the delinquent in the room down.

"I wasn't trying to peep," I spoke calmly, "I was just trying to hear you better."

Besides, she was wearing shorts anyway, so even _if_ I tried to get a peep at her, then I wouldn't see anything. Probably.

"T-Then why don't you just tell me?!"

"I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Jeez, you're such an idiot," Yuigahama seemed to have calm down, evident by her not shouting at me, "Come here."

Even though her eyes were closed, one of her hands beckoned me to come near her.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying that if you want to hear better, then come closer. And don't peep!"

"Would never even think of it." I replied as I moved over to my previous spot.

But even so, Yuigahama beckoned me to come even closer. She wanted to shorten our distance to a really unsafe level.

"Don't misunderstand," She spouted off a clichéd line, "Just get here and turn around. And don't even try anything funny."

Despite her dubious demand, I turned around anyway. However, I didn't get too close to her. Otherwise, she'd have a clear shot to my head. But all of those concerns vanished when a gentle pair of hands embraced my cheeks and pulled me backward. Even when my head stopped moving, those same hands began to play my hair ever so gently.

I almost turned around by instinct, but Yuigahama's voice stopped me.

"This is just for now, okay? It's just so you can hear me better."

"R-Right."

 _Wait, why the hell am I stuttering?_

"So, where was I again?" Yuigahama paused before continuing, "Ah! I was taking a walk and listening to music at the time, since it was early in the morning."

"You're a morning person?"

"Not really, but I wasn't able to sleep that day."

"I see."

"Anyway, I came to a crosswalk, and being stupid, I thought that the traffic lights were red."

"I guess they weren't."

Instead of berating me for interrupting her yet again, Yuigahama softly mumbled, "Yeah…"

"But since I was careless and all, I tried to pass through the crosswalk anyway. And then you came along, and...I guess you'd already realized what happened afterwards."

Her tone took a somber turn as she continued to play with my hair. How can a girl be so savage yet gentle at the same time? If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't even glance at me.

"We were out for, like, two weeks or so..."

She trailed off soon after, leaving me to my own thoughts. If we did indeed miss school for the first two weeks, then the golden, optimum time period for clique-forming was gone for both of us. She'd probably put on this tough delinquent persona of hers to fit in or so; that was the only plausible reason as to why she was so different from my own world's Yuigahama.

"Yuigahama," I called out to her, "So what about that promise with Komachi?"

Then a thought popped into my mind.

"Wait a minute, how did you even know about such a personal promise?"

"I was in the same room as you, dummy." She replied.

"Oh."

"So…you still want to hear it?"

"If you don't mind."

Yuigahama sighed. "Jeez, how bad can your memory be?"

"Sorry."

"Whatever," She huffed in annoyance, "So, you know how we both got admitted into a hospital on the same day?"

"Yeah?"

"Well…" I could feel a block in Yuigahama's voice; like something was physically stopping her from speaking, "Your sister immediately rushed in to visit you."

"There's a catch, isn't there?"

Yuigahama hummed in agreement, "Yeah…neither of your parents showed up that day."

If I was surprised, then I was glad that my face wasn't seen by Yuigahama. This wasn't what happened to _me_. Both of my parents and Komachi showed up to ask me of my condition that day. While it seemed annoying then, I couldn't help but appreciate my own family.

To think that I would be pitying myself of all people.

How shallow of me.

"Did Komachi ever say why they didn't come?" I asked Yuigahama.

At first, she didn't answer, opting to wallow in her silence, but eventually, an answer did come out.

"She said they had work…"

"I see."

If that was indeed the case, then I could see why Komachi was so infuriated when I brought up our parents. She wasn't crude at the time due to her rebellious personality. She was being crude because of…me. She did it for my sake, even if her methods were a bit peculiar.

And what did I do to repay her? Spit in her face and stomp all over her niceties.

I rubbed my head a bit to ease the pain, even by just a little. Yuigahama somehow noticed this and began rubbing the sides of my head in a circular motion. I hate to admit it but…it felt really good. As if all the fog clouding my head was disappearing.

"Why are you doing this again?"

Huffing slightly, Yuigahama-san responded, "Well, if you see an injured puppy on the sidewalk, you don't just ignore it, do you? The least you can do is getting it somewhere safe to it can receive help."

"You think I'm a dog or something?"

"You just look like a lost puppy, okay? It's pitiful seeing you like this. So at least, let me help just this once."

"Okay…" I let myself be lost to the relief that came from Yuigahama's impromptu massage. This went on for a couple of minutes before I realized that I still didn't know what that promise with Komachi was.

"Yuigahama…"

"Hmm?"

"The promise?"

Yuigahama stopped massaging my head, and instead, resumed playing with my hair. For one reason or another, she just couldn't keep her hands still.

"I didn't hear the full thing, but basically…" She took a deep breath before continuing.

"You said that you'll be with her forever and ever, even if…your parents aren't with you. Or something along those lines."

While Yuigahama managed to say such a line so nonchalantly, even I understood the impact that it had on Komachi. While this world's Komachi is definitely different from mine, I'd assumed that at least one thing was the same. The fact that they both are young, and thus, very impressionable.

So, it didn't surprise me that this world's Komachi took the other Hachiman's words at face value, instead of interpreting it as reassurance.

And what did I do with someone who took 'my' promise at face value?

Completely destroying it.

Aaargh, why did I do that? I knew; I understood that I wasn't in my original universe, yet instead of adapting to the changes and staying as low-key as possible, I'd opted to force my way through this world instead, and as a result, ruined any relationships that this world's Hachiman had or will have.

I'm pretty sure he won't do the same to mine. After all, from what I'd gathered, this world's Hachiman is quite passive, if his little sister's assertiveness is anything to go by.

"So now you understand why Komachi-chan was mad at you?" Yuigahaama asked me in a way that a certain answer was expected.

"Well…sort of."

"Sort of? How could you say that? Your little sister is pissed off because you broke an important promise to her, and you _sort of_ get it?! What's wrong with you?"

While Yuigahama's outburst was expected, I really didn't have an answer for her. How could I? After all, I wasn't the one to make that promise; the other Hachiman did. So to say that I understood how Komachi felt would be a complete cop out; an easy way out.

But I don't want that.

I want them to understand why I was this way.

But by doing that, it means that I have to reveal to them that I'm not their Hachiman.

And I'm not sure if Komachi can handle her apparent brother proclaiming that he's not her actual brother again.

I was sure that Yuigahama was expecting an answer from me again, but I didn't want to rush it. Should I tell her, or should I just make up another excuse? No, that wouldn't be right. She deserved to know the truth.

I felt a lump forming in my throat. Taking a deep breath, I gulped it down and decided on telling her the truth. At least, with all they've been through, this Yuigahama deserves to know that I'm not her Hachiman.

"Yuigahama."

"What?"

I took a deep breath, "There's a reason why I've been acting strange these past few weeks."

"Really now? I thought you were just on your period or something."

"Period jokes, really? Should you be making that joke when you're a girl?"

"Who cares? Jokes are universal," She then drilled the sides of my head with her knuckles, "So? Gonna tell me the reason or what?"

While my head was hurt from Yuigahama's actions, at least she was setting a lighter tone for it. This way, the anxiety of revealing the truth might be lessened by a little.

Just a little though.

But first off.

"Yuigahama, you do believe in me, right?"

"As unbelievable as it may sound, yes, I still believe in you," She replied, "Even if you are a jerk, you jerk."

Again with repeating things?

"Well, I need you to believe what I'm going to say completely. No questions asked."

"Okay?"

"Like, literally no questions asked. No weird faces. No sarcastic responses either."

"You're gonna tell me or what?"

Seeing as she was getting annoyed, I decided to spill the beans.

"Alright…" I took another deep breath to calm myself, "This might sound farfetched, and honestly, I have no idea how it happened either."

She let go of my head, allowing some much needed mobility to my head.

"What? You're gonna tell me that you hit your head on something hard, and got amnesia in the process? And now you need me to say something to trigger your emotional responses?"

"What did you even get that idea from? You don't get amnesia from a trauma to the head, y'know," I replied in exasperation, "Besides, that stuff only happens in movies anyway."

 _Not that my circumstances are grounded in reality either…_

"Then just get to the point. I hate beating around the bush."

"Fine, fine." I turned around and looked at her dead straight in the eyes.

"I am from another dimension."

…

…

…

"Bullshit."

"You said you believed in me!"

"I would if it was believable in the first place! Wait a minute…" Yuigahama paused, "Are you that desperate for an excuse that you came up with this bullshit?"

"I am not desperate for an excuse. I already told you that it might be farfetched."

"That excuse isn't in the realm of 'might be farfetched', it is completely farfetched!"

"Alright, fine! It sounds farfetched, but it's true, I'm telling you!"

Both of us had to take a breather after our sudden shouting contest. It was a miracle as to how Yuigahama's mom or Komachi didn't burst through the door with kitchen utensils in hands due to the noise.

We glared at each other like mortal enemies for some reason before Yuigahama relented and leaned back against the wall, looking as poised as ever to make an argument.

"Y'know what? Let's just say that you _did_ come from 'another universe'," She made air quotation marks to mock me, "How do I know that, huh? How do I know that this isn't just some pathetic excuse?"

Wasting no time, I replied, "Because I know what's different here. I know that my world is completely different from this one."

"Reaaaaally now?" She leaned forward a bit, showing an ample amount of-

 _No, no more of that. Focus on the topic, Hachiman._

"Well, then. I'm curious now. How is it different?"

"You're starting to believe me now?"

"Depends." Was her vague answer.

Well, since I got no concrete proof to show her, I might as well try to convince her.

"I'm not just in the wrong world," This clearly piqued her interest as her face immediately showed attentiveness, "I'm also in the wrong timeline. I'm supposed to be nearing the end of my second year."

"Wait, whaaat?"

"You ever noticed how I got these impossibly high scores in class? Even though I sucked at most of the subjects?" I asked her, hoping she would realize where I was going with this.

"Okay? You got high scores because you're smart, right? As much as I hate to admit it."

"No, not that," I corrected her, a bit confused myself, "I'm saying that I got those high scores because I'd already seen what was on the tests."

"Uhh, no," She rebutted, "Like I said. You're smart. High scores are expected of the number one student in the school after all."

"Number what now?"

"Number _one_." She put the extra emphasis on 'one' for some reason, "Are you so narcissistic that you need someone to remind you of your _own_ academic achievement?"

"What? No!" I then realized the discrepancy between Yuigahama's memories and my own, "Wait. See how our memories are different? Back in my own world, I wouldn't know jack about any subject besides literature."

Yuigahama then proceeded to look at me, as if discerning if I was lying or not, which I wasn't, but before long, she gave up with a sigh.

"Excluding the fact that you are a narcissist-,"

"I'm not." I quickly interjected.

"What else is different?" Yuigahama continued, her voice almost showing genuine curiosity this time.

I was a bit off put by her sudden willingness to listen, but I quickly composed myself.

"Well…" I scratched my head awkwardly, trying to think back to my own world, "For one, my Yui-I mean, my _world's_ Yuigahama isn't as…"

I looked at the current Yuigahama in front of me, who was also looking, or glaring (It was hard to tell) at me. Thinking back to the original Yuigahama, I tried to come up with the best comparison that also didn't insult this Yuigahama.

"Isn't as what? Bitchy? Pushy? Overbearing?"

 _Why are you answering you own question?_

"That Yuigahama isn't as blunt as you," I painstakingly said, "She also isn't as forward as you, preferring to make peace instead of confronting someone right in their face. She owns a dog as well. Its name's Sable."

"Also…she's clumsy. Very clumsy, in fact. Oh, and she can't even cook properly. That's a very big difference. Not to mention, she's not also as…"

Looking over Yuigahama's current outfit once more, which – for the lack of a better term – didn't cover up that much of her body, I began the arduous task of choosing the right word in order to not piss her off…again.

"Bold as you are." I said before turning away before I got uncomfortable looking at this amalgamation of hotpants and t-shirt.

"Sheesh, she sounds like a wimp." commented Yuigahama offhandedly.

"You know you're talking about yourself, right?"

"Pfft, whatever. Well, what about Yukinon?"

"Yukinoshita…"

That name reminded me that I also had to start my relationship with her over again. I mean, technically, I only had to convince her not to hate her _original_ Hachiman, but that task might prove to be impossible if she questions me like Yuigahama was currently doing.

 _...Do I have to tell her where I came from as well?_

"Yeah, Yukinoshita Yukino. Yukinon. Remember that girl? The girl you so viciously attacked during summer."

"Alright, I get it. No need to repeat it."

"So? Did you also insult her to her very face in your own world?"

"I didn't. The other Yukinoshita is very different from this one." I gave a wistful sigh, "Far too different."

"How?"

"Well…" I thought about the difference between the two Yukinoshitas, "My world's Yukinoshita is a lot more…forward. Very sharp-tongued, and doesn't mind making other people cry."

Though I said that…

"Actually, no. She does mind when people cry, like when she made Miura cry."

"Wait, what?! Holy crap, the shy and quiet Yukinon making someone like Yumiko cry?" Yuigahama looked like she was on the verge of tears, "That's totally awesome!"

"Not really. Yukinoshita doesn't like it when people cry."

"Damn, what a waste." Yuigahama clicked her tongue, her face turned to that of boredom in an instant.

A waste of what, exactly?

"So…what about Komachi-chan?"

Komachi.

My little sister.

"Komachi is…" I felt choked up mentioning the name, "Komachi…she's pretty much the same. She's still as outgoing as ever. Extremely energetic, albeit less violent."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I continued, "And well…I think the biggest difference is that my Komachi is stuck with a shithead like me for a brother."

I wonder…has the other Hachiman said anything hurtful towards my Komachi? Probably not. He's most likely a pacifist. So, no; he probably never said anything harmful to anyone.

"Oh, would you just stop that already?!"

I immediately jumped from the sudden increase of noise inside the room. Coupled that with the fact that the source of said noise was literally one meter behind me.

Before I could turn around and ask why, a strong pair of hands began squeezing my head. It wasn't painful; the sensation could be likened to a puppy, who hasn't grown any fangs yet, biting you.

"What are you doing?" I asked amidst the slightly painful session of head squeezing, courtesy of Yuigahama.

"Trying to get **you** to stop!" She squeezed harder, actually hurting my head this time.

Having enough of this childish act, I grabbed both of her hands and pulled them apart, which was relatively easy since she didn't expect it.

"Stop doing what?"

In response, she clamped down on my head again, and began squeezing it even harder.

"Stop this self-deprecating crap!" I tried pulling her hands apart again, but found it nigh impossible. How strong is she?

"Like, seriously. I get it. Self-deprecating is a coping mechanism, but that doesn't mean you have to abuse it every goddamn time you get upset. Man up!"

When I couldn't get a word out because I was still trying to get her to loosen her grip, Yuigahama continued ranting.

"How did you become like this? You are Hikigaya Hachiman, for god's sake!"

"I am not _your_ Hikigaya Hachiman." I said as I finally managed to pry her hands apart, "I'm different. I thought you understood that already."

"Oh! Just because you said a bunch of verbal bullshit, I am supposed to wholeheartedly believe you? Wake up already!"

"You wake up! I. Am. Not. Your. Hachiman."

"Stop saying that already! You're still _the_ Hikigaya Hachiman."

"Then tell me what this Hachiman of yours is like."

"Hah?! How egotistical can you be?!"

"Yuigahama," I said with finality, "Please."

The strength in her hands began to fade away before she completely let go of my own hands. The sounds of shuffling sheets indicated that she must've moved back a bit. I didn't mind. We both needed space.

"Are you really serious?" She asked, her voice doubtful.

"Of course, I am." I answered with no hesitation. She needed to understand that I'm not her Hachiman in order to reset this relationship of ours.

"He's…" Yuigahama started, "Very serious, but shy and quiet…He doesn't like confrontations or doing anything that he deems unnecessary. He sucks at sports, especially at tennis. He's horrible at being a tsundere, constantly telling me that I'm only an acquaintance to him."

I stayed silently as I listened to Yuigahama describing her Hachiman.

"Also…Hikki is very kind," I could sense the wistfulness in her voice, "Did you know? One time, he bought me a melon bread and a yakisoba bread, because I forgot my lunch, even though I didn't even tell him. That was nice of him…I paid him back by making him lunch though!"

Just as I thought; the complete opposite.

"He's also smart. Like, smart enough to make you jealous, but he also helped me do my homework so I guess I can't complain too much…I mean, I invited him to the aquarium a couple of times to make up for it, but we only went together one time though…"

They were pretty close, huh?

She let out a deep sigh, "He also remembers things pretty well; must be why he's so great at taking test."

His memory?

"Yuigahama."

"Huh?"

"You said that your 'Hachiman' has great memory, right? And also, you said you hung out with him?"

"Uhh, yeah? I literally just said that."

Checkmate.

"Then explain this: If 'Hachiman' did some nice things for you, and I am him; then why didn't I recognize you when you came into the Service Club? Not to mention, why didn't I say anything to you?"

"Well, because I thought you did recognize me and was trying to be aloof," She answered, "Besides, you looked at me so that counts as recognizing, right?"

"It's a normal human reaction to look at new stimulants. Besides, Yukinoshita also looked at you, yet she never knew you before."

"That's-!"

"And also, if 'Hachiman' has such a great memory, then why did _I_ forget about what happened in our car accident? Or about my promise with Komachi even? Not to mention, if he does have such a great memory, I'm sure he won't confuse you for having a pet name Sable."

"…"

Yuigahama was afraid. Afraid of facing the facts that I am not her Hachiman. I could hardly blame her though; if our roles were reversed, I wouldn't even entertain the thought for a single second.

"You see what I'm getting at? The only way that I am Hachiman and doesn't remember all those things is because-"

"Because you're not my Hikki…"

"…right."

The air in the room suddenly got a whole lot heavier. With Yuigahama finally accepting the fact that I was from an alternate dimension, I'd thought that it'd be easier to communicate with her now that the tension was gone.

Apparently not.

"So…how do you plan on going back?" Yuigahama asked solemnly.

"Don't know…"

" _Can_ you even go back?"

Just like before, I replied with a simple, "Don't know…"

But unlike last time, before Yuigahama was able to ask another question, I continued, "But I'm sure that we'll switch back one day."

"One day, huh…"

"Yeah…" Even I didn't have any confidence in what I was saying, "So, if one day, I suddenly become quiet and book-smart again, then don't get angry at that Hachiman, alright? Because that's most likely your Hachiman."

"So you're saying it's okay to hate you right now?"

"Yeah." I answered without any hesitation.

"Don't say that." This time, she didn't shout; instead, she just said it like another fact of life.

But I didn't reply. How could I reply? My original plan was to clear up my relationship with Yuigahama, but since I had to tell her where I came from, I guess the plan changed to clearing up the relationship between Yuigahama and her Hachiman.

So it made sense as to why all the hate and vitriol should be directed to me, right?

Before I could have any other thought, I could feel my head being pulled back by a gentle pair of hands. However, the position that my head wound up in was anything but gentle.

Therefore, because of the strange, and painful position that my head ended up in, I could only look up, which meant I could only look at the she-devil herself, Yuigahama, who was glaring daggers at me.

I looked up at her quizzically, trying to decipher what she was going to do, or decide whether or not I need to run before she smashed my face in.

But instead of violence, Yuigahama merely uttered:

"Stop it already."

Without taking my eyes of hers (Not that I had a choice), I replied, "I did."

"No, you're lying. I can see it in your eyes."

"Well, what do you want me to stop then?"

With a pained look, she answered, "Stop this…whole hating yourself thing. It's not healthy."

I understood what she was getting at, but it didn't mean that she was right though.

"I am not hating myself," I answered, "I was the sole cause of all these problems. With you, Komachi…and to an extent, Yukinoshita. So it's only logical why I should be the one to solve it, right?"

"Yeah, you should solve it."

"Exactly, so-,"

"But that doesn't mean you have to make everyone hate you in the process."

"An unfortunate side-effect, but I can live with it."

Squeezing my head even harder, Yuigahama responded.

"Don't say that. No one wants to hate you."

"Correction: No one wants to hate _your_ Hachiman."

"Don't be a smartass. It doesn't matter if you're the Hikigaya Hachiman of this universe or the next one thousand; you're still Hikki to me. And the fact is that if you're hurt, then people who care about you get hurt too."

"Like I said, you're confusing me with your Hachiman," I said, my eyes still not leaving her pained ones, "It doesn't matter what you say. At the end of the day, what I did hurt people too much for them to care about me anymore. And it's my responsibility-"

And then, as if ignoring my long winded explanation, Yuigahama gave a one simple reply.

"I care about you." She said, still looking at me from above.

"No, you don't. You care about _your_ Hachiman."

Narrowing her eyes, she replied, " _No_ , I care about this asshole-ish Hachiman who's in way over his head, the one who is trying to glorify social suicide."

"Now you're just spouting off bullshit."

"Not as much bullshit as you're spouting off."

Even though her face was upside down, her glare was still almighty. With her hands firmly wrapped around my head, it was as if she could snap my neck in an instant if I crossed her again.

"Look, no matter what you say, it still doesn't change the fact that-,"

"That what? No one cares about you?" She glared harder, "Like I said that day, if you stop for one second, and look up from your own deranged trap of self-pity, you can see that there _are_ people who care about you."

"And like I said; you're just spouting off bullshit," I replied, "I appreciate the niceties, but you don't have to go out of your way to pity me. I'm just here to clear the air regarding your relationship with _your_ Hachiman."

She squeezed harder.

"There _are_ people who care about you, Hikki," She repeated, her voice frustrated, "For example: me. I care about you. I like you…I mean, as a person, of course."

"Really now? I don't think you understand that I'm not your-,"

"You want me to prove it to you?" She interrupted me, her eyes dead serious. It didn't help that she seemed to have leaned even closer to my face, my eyes mere centimeters away from my own.

"Prove what exactly?" I anxiously asked. Hopefully, she isn't one of those people that think hurting someone in the name of caring for them equates to actually caring about them.

"That I care about you. That I like you."

 _Oi, oi, what about that 'as a person'?_

I sighed softly. While I do understand that hurting yourself will hurt the people that care about you; but in this world, people didn't care about me.

They care about _their_ Hachiman.

I really wished she understood this simple concept. Even if I cared enough to reset this relationship between me and this Yuigahama, I did it in order to make way for an actual relationship between this world's Yuigahama and Hachiman. It was the least I could do after all the fiasco that I caused.

So why was she so goddamn stubborn?

"Yuigahama, I appreciate the gesture, but it's unnecessary. So, if you can just let go-!"

Before I could get my words out, darkness filled my sight. Actually, that wasn't accurate. There was something before my eyes before darkness itself.

The color pink.

To be more accurate, shocking pink, or maybe, rose pink. I couldn't really differentiate between the both of them. But I do know that they are the colors of Yuigahama's hair; be it this world's Yuigahama or my own world's Yuigahama. That same color descended on to my face, ultimately filling it with darkness.

Along with that sight came the smell of strawberry, or was it limes? Nah, now that I think about it, it was definitely strawberry. I've been around Yuigahama too long to not know that it's her apparently her favorite shampoo.

But that wasn't the end of it, because the color pink wasn't just accompanied by sweet strawberry scent. It also came with the touch of something soft, smooth, supple…and wet. To be honest, if my arms weren't paralyzed at my sides, I would've reached up to figure out where this sensation came from.

Wait, why were my arms paralyzed?

It was then that my eyes widened, and I finally regained some form of consciousness, which in turn, led to the realization of something rather…sweet, in the literal sense.

Why?

Because my mouth _was_ tasting something sweet, soft, smooth, supple, and wet.

Unfortunately, that very thing was Yuigahama's lips.

 _Hold on, hold on, hold on. What the hell is she doing?!_

Try as I might, I couldn't resist the tempting sensation on my lips, as Yuigahama's own lips crashed into my own without any grace whatsoever. While I wanted to pull away, I was way too paralyzed by the fact that _freaking_ Yuigahama was kissing me for no reason, and the fact that I could hear her _moan_ mere millimeters away.

But eventually, the need to breathe rose above any other needs as I could feel my lungs burning up from the lack of fresh air. Yuigahama wasn't letting go any time soon, and I didn't have the strength to pull myself away. So, I did the only thing that I could do at the time, and used up all of my strength to extend my hand upwards, trying to find her head.

Touching a soft tuft of hair, I immediately started tapping it without any hesitation, trying to signal my submission. It took a few seconds, but soon enough, Yuigahama pulled away from my lips, eliciting a wet pop in the process. She drew in deep breaths afterwards, apparently also as out of breath as I was.

Wasting no time whatsoever, I immediately pushed myself away from her bed to the other side of the room in a rather desperate fashion. By the time I was able to 'relax', I was breathing deeply, and rubbing the spot where Yuigahama…kissed me.

 _What the hell happened?!_

I looked over to the perpetrator, whose eyes were glazed over for some inconceivable reason. Her chest dipped and rose with every breath she took, further amplifying her allure. Honestly, I would've relished the sight in front of me…if Yuigahama hadn't forced herself on me!

And then, as if finally realizing my gaze, the now flustered Yuigahama immediately took a pillow and buried her face in it. I would've done the same thing, except I didn't have anything to cover my face with.

So I took a deep breath. Deep enough to calm my brain down, and slow my breathing down just enough to let me analyze the situation. But when I absentmindedly touched my lips...

"What the fuck was that."

That statement escaped my mouth faster than I could even think about it.

A muffled cry was sounded from Yuigahama's direction as she attempted to answer my inquiry.

"Come again?"

In one swift motion, she took her face out of her pillow, and shouted a reply.

"I was trying to prove a point, dammit!"

"And that point being?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"That I care about you! That I like you! You stupid, nincompoop, Hachiman!" She then buried her face into the pillow again, muffling her cries.

I was still trying to wrap my head around this whole situation, but the only thing that I could think of was that I felt like I was…cheating.

It was stupid, considering that I didn't have any prior relationships, and by the looks of it, neither did this Yuigahama.

"Ugguuh, I feel like I'm cheating or something." Yuigahama echoed out my earlier sentiment.

"What; you have a boyfriend or something?"

"No, you stupid idiot!" She shouted again, "It's just…I'm kissing Hikki…but you're not exactly my Hikki…"

"I'm the one being violated here, y'know."

"I know that! It's…It's so god damn confusing, damn it!"

I looked at her in exasperation before trying to wipe away any residue of Yuigahama's lips from my own lips. But when I did, I was immediately reminded of what happened minutes earlier, and somehow, I felt…giddy.

 _Who am I? A Shoujo protagonist?_

"If it's any consolation…" Yuigahama spoke up, "You're my first…"

"I appreciate the sentiment, but," I replied, "You sure you should be doing this to someone who's not your Hachiman?"

Just like before, she shouted a response, "I know that! But technically…you're still Hikki. And I already told you that it doesn't matter if you're the Hikki of this universe or not, I…I'll still love Hikki."

Was that a confession?

No way, right?

My eyes widened at her apparent confession. I mean, I already knew that, considering the way she talked about her Hachiman, and the fact that she kissed me, but to hear it straight from her lips in such a nonchalant way was a real shocker.

Not to mention, I was technically her target of affection yet I wasn't at the same time.

Schrodinger's Hachiman, huh…

"How can you say that so…so easily?" My gaze was pointed to the bedroom floor.

A flustered Yuigahama soon replied, "W-Well, it's not like it's easy for me to say it, y'know! Besides, I think it's wasteful beating around the bush."

"Even though you understood that the one you're confessing to isn't your actual target?"

"Oh god, not this again. Please don't start hating yourself again. This time, I might actually _beat_ some sense into you."

Sneering at her, I answered, "No, not that. I was just wondering if you're going to confess again if your Hachiman ever comes back."

Upon realizing what I was getting at, she glared at me. Hard. In fact, if it wasn't for my Critical damage resistance, I would've died from her glare alone.

Then, just like a demon king descending from his throne, Yuigahama methodically got off from her bed, and slowly, but surely, walked to me. Gulping slightly, I looked at her warily, wondering if she was going 'beat some sense' into me or…do that thing from earlier.

 _No, bad Hachiman!_

"That," She poked my chest, "is my problem. So, you don't have to worry about it at all."

I raised my hands up in submission, lest she tried something else.

"Alright, alright. I was just wondering what you'd do if your Hachiman doesn't share your feelings."

Huffing even louder, she poked my chest multiple times, each subsequent one stronger than the last.

"Like. I. Said." She gritted her teeth, her eyes glaring a thousand daggers at me, "That is my problem. My burden, so you don't have to get your panties in a bunch over it."

"…"

"Besides, you think that you're responsible for this?" She gave me an incredulous look, "You don't have to carry all the burden, y'know. There are people who can help you."

"I wasn't trying to-"

"To be what? A hero? A messiah? A martyr? A-"

"You don't have to find a hundred words to describe me, y'know." I interrupted her before she could go off on a tangent.

"I'm just saying that you have a tendency to carry everything on your shoulder, even though there are people who'll gladly share half of the burden."

Share half of the burden? If I didn't have any self-control, I would've scoffed at that notion. No sane, perfectly functioning human being would willingly take on someone else's burden. We tend to think of ourselves as good, and just, even though in reality, we are selfish, and wouldn't hesitate to break moral codes for our own benefits.

So the fact that she thinks someone would willingly try to take on a burden that might not benefit him or herself was laughable.

But when I looked at the Yuigahama in front of me, I couldn't help but wonder if she really did mean what she said. She is apparently very straightforward after all, so there might be some truth in her statements.

I sighed.

Dimension travelling is a bitch.

"Hey, Hikki."

I focused my attention back to Yuigahama, who crossed her arms and looked less pissed off than before. She wasn't looking at me for some reason, and instead, chose to twiddle with a stray bang of her own hair as she asked.

"I'm assuming that I'm not the only destination on your journey of redemption?"

I internally winced, "Please don't call it that. You don't have to make it sound grander than it actually is."

Yuigahama gave a light scoff before placing her hands on her hips. "Well, since that's the case…"

"Huh?"

Coughing into one of her hands, she continued, "You do know that Komachi-chan is here…right?"

"I…didn't expect to meet her that fast."

"Your little sister didn't come home for the past few days, and you didn't even try to guess where she was."

"Unfortunately, no." I bitterly admitted. It was true that apologizing to this world's Komachi didn't really cross my mind until I came to Yuigahama's house. In fact, I'd completely forgotten about the horrible things I said to her.

"Oh damn, you really are trash."

"I get it. You don't have to repeat that thought again."

"But you're technically her 'brother', right?"

"Unfortunately for her, yes."

I expected her to scold me again for 'self-loathing' (Or whatever that meant), but instead, she asked another question.

"And you will apologize to her like a good 'brother' should, correct?"

I stared at her, unmoving for a couple of seconds before heaving a sigh in defeat. Fixing and restarting the relationships of this Hachiman was what I was here for anyway, so I might as well get his relationship with Komachi back on track.

"Yes. Yes, I will." Was my simple reply.

For one reason or another, she gave a small grin before opening her door and running out of it, all in a span of two seconds. But before I could even get confused, she reappeared, her head poking out from behind the door.

"Hikki. Don't you dare move an inch. Literally." She warned me, as I nodded in response.

And so I sat there in a girl's room for three excruciating minutes. How did I know this? Well, I was so bored that I actually kept track of the time, something that I wouldn't normally do in this setting. I had a vague idea of why Yuigahama left; after all there are only two other people in this apartment, sans me and Yuigahama.

Now that I actually looked around, her room was kind of nice.

A somewhat neatly organized desk with stationery and materials for studying, a bookshelf filled with reference books and novels, and not only that, but she also had a sleek laptop.

Ah, Yuigahama has a really nice room.

But all those thoughts vanished the moment the door swung open, almost making me jump out of my skin. The first one to come out from behind the door was obviously Yuigahama, who looked quite pleased with herself.

The second person, though, was someone that I had expected yet dreaded coming face to face with at the same time.

With her eyes devoid of any emotion, the girl that Yuigahama brought along simply uttered.

"Gomii-chan."

* * *

 **End notes** **: Originally, I wanted to include both Komachi and Yukino's parts, but I realized that this chapter was already long enough, so I had to cut those parts out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's notes:** **HAH, you thought the update date was an April Fool's joke?! Screw you, predictability!**

 **Ehem.**

 **Anyway, if you took a look at my profile in the past month, you would've read that my previous laptop has short-circuited due to my totally existent cat knocking water into its air vent. So that's the reason why this update has been delayed. (Also, Fate/Grand Order is super fun, so that's another reason too.)**

 **No reason to waste any more of your time, so enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Bonds**

Mirrors, I decided, are curious objects. They are virtually everywhere; from manufactured mirrors in a dressing room to fictional mirrors in works of literature. They are spiritual and materialistic in both of these mediums.

Some are used in a realistic sense while others are used more liberally in a supernatural sense, like the famous talking mirror in the fairy tale Snow White. Even today, the supernatural mirror trope is still used in a vast array media, such as tokusatsu shows.

As a child, I distinctly remembered sitting down every evening to watch my daily dose of tokusatsu show, and found it really intriguing that mirrors can be used to teleport to another world that was similar yet was different from our own. Of course, poor younger me was disappointed when the mirror in his bedroom wasn't magical or even slightly amazing.

Ahh…how I wish I could be whisked away by a mystical mirror to another world right now.

But as I stared forward, I saw a girl who was hurt by me in ways that even I couldn't imagine.

It was then that I realized that jumping to another world would be extremely selfish of me, and it still wouldn't solve the problems at hand.

With a huff and a sigh, I straightened my body and looked straight at the little girl standing in front of me. I need to do at least this much; otherwise, my guilty conscience wouldn't allow me to live it down.

"Gomii-chan."

That was the first slightly affectionate thing Komachi said to me after slamming a door in my face when she first saw me. I unconsciously swallowed a lump forming in my throat. What should I say? What can I say?

"Komachi…" I said the first thing that came to mind.

Honestly, I was going to apologize to my little sister, but not so soon, and certainly not after what had just happened earlier with Yuigahama. Speaking of whom, that girl was standing behind Komachi, her hands gently placed onto Komachi's shoulders, as if holding her back.

I didn't know whether to thank her or not, but considering the look in Komachi's eyes, I definitely owe her one.

That being said, Yuigahama's room felt absolutely suffocating at that instance. While Yuigahama was silently telling me to apologize to Komachi with her eyes, I couldn't muster up the breath to. My words were literally stuck in my throat.

And the presence of Komachi's ever-sharp glare didn't help either.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, which greatly calmed me down for what was about to come.

"Look, Komachi," I said, my voice firm with resolve, "I know that-,"

"Alright, shut it." Komachi interrupted me, her hand jutted out towards my face, effectively shutting me up, "I'm only here because Yui-san told me you changed."

Finding no words to respond, I could only look at Komachi in confusion. My little sister then proceeded to take a seat right in front of me with her legs crossed.

"I, however, have some doubts," She pointed an accusing finger at me, "You have five minutes to explain yourself, ya hear?"

"…"

I didn't say anything but nevertheless, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least, Komachi was hearing me out. I certainly thought she was going to hit me again or even just throw something into my face. I wonder…does Yuigahama hold that much power over Komachi?

I decided that it would be for the best not to dwell on that subject.

Coughing into my hands, I tried my best to explain.

"Komachi."

"What?" She spat back harshly.

I wasn't deterred though as I stared at her eyes with no fear, "I know this won't mean much coming from me…considering what I said to you but I want to make something clear to you."

"Hmm."

Seeing as her attention was hooked, I then continued talking, only to realize my plan had a flaw…

"You see, Komachi. Truth be told, I-,"

Should I even consider telling her I'm not her actual brother? While I am certainly Hikigaya Hachiman in her eyes, I definitely didn't act like this world's Hachiman– if what Yuigahama said was right.

I wondered if Komachi noticed the strange changes in her brother's personality. This Komachi isn't my actual sister, but even so, I'd bet that she is as perceptive as ever. Perhaps even more so. While her eyes were filled with contempt, I was sure that underneath those fiery glares is a sharp, calculative mind.

If Komachi becomes suspicious about my obvious personality changes, then I'll just tell her at the end of it all. For now, I'll just tell her why _I_ said those things. Even if she can't forgive me for doing all those horrible things, I could just reveal that I wasn't her brother and all of the vitriol and hate that she had for him would go to me instead.

Upon thinking that, I realized that doing so would undermine all the talk Yuigahama and I had earlier. Giving her a subtle glance, I honestly hoped that it wouldn't come to that. I really didn't need her berating me about self-hating ever again.

And besides, it would make…that kiss kind of pointless…

 _Bad Hachiman! Stop thinking about it!_

"Well, truth be told what?" Komachi asked.

"Truth be told," I repeated what I said earlier, "I have no excuses."

"…"

I wasn't lying to her. Far from it. I did have no excuse for saying all those horrible things to her. I was mad, I was stressed, and I needed someone – a third party – to vent it out on. All these things Yukinoshita Haruno said to me, all those things Yukinoshita said about me; it flipped a switch inside me.

And I took it all out on my own little sister.

"At that time, I was just looking for an excuse to vent out my anger," I said, "But it's not your fault! I was really just being irrati-,"

"Alright, you can stop now." Komachi held out a hand in front of my face, effectively shutting me up. Not knowing if she was pissed because of my poor reasoning, I reluctantly tried to tell her again.

"But I need to tell you that-,"

"I said shut it." Komachi said – no – ordered me; and I wisely followed said order.

Giving a small sigh, she closed her eyes and began rubbing her temple, as if my mere words were causing her headaches. I know I'm not that good at finding the right words, but come on, Komachi…

"Alright, look."

 _I am looking, dear sister._

"When you said all those awful things to me, I was pissed off. And so were you," Komachi stated as-a-matter-of-factly, "But after that mess, I was able to think things through, and well…I can definitely say that we were both wrong."

"Both of us?" I raised one of my eyebrows, "That's not-,"

"Yeah, you're right. You were definitely more wrong than I am," She backtracked almost instantly, "But in essence, both of us were wrong."

I stared at her in confusion. Was she trying to be nice to me? Sure, I could get that having the time to cool your head could lead you to reevaluate your situation, but what I said to Komachi was irrational; a fact that I was sure she knew as well.

"Komachi."

"Hmm?"

"I don't really get where you're going with this." I admitted, earning an incredulous look from Komachi. Soon after, she merely covered her face with one of her hands in exasperation, dragging it down slowly for emphasis.

Sheesh, excuse me for not cracking your code.

Before I could say anything else, she scooted over to me. Komachi then firmly placed her hands on her knees, staring at me with conviction. I had no idea what was going on, and merely gave an inquisitive stare back.

"Gomii-chan," She said as she pointed at me, "Who are you?"

"I'm your brother…?"

Komachi slapped her own forehead in exasperation, before sighing and tried to remain calm. Seriously, stop being so vague, Komachi.

"I mean, what's your name?"

"Hikigaya Hachiman." I replied.

Afterwards, she gestured towards herself, "And who am I?"

Realizing that she was asking for her own name, I responded.

"Hikigaya Komachi."

"Right, and you see the relationship between us?" Komachi asked, quickly gesturing to me and herself.

"We're brother and sister?" I replied, a bit unsure of my answer.

As expected, my answer was wrong, if Komachi slapping her forehead again was any indication.

"No, that's not it!" She exclaimed, before backtracking, "Wait, actually, it is _it_ , but that's not the point!"

In fit of pseudo anger, she scooted herself even closer to where I am, before jabbing a finger right into my chest. She looked angry, though I could feel anything but anger emanating from her.

"We're both Hikigayas," Komachi gave the supposed right answer, "That means we're family, and family means that we sometimes have to forgive stupid stuff that our family do."

Upon hearing that, I immediately got what she was trying to say. Of course, I would, since I would face similar situations with my other Komachi all the time, especially when she was younger. A spilled cup of cola, a stolen cup of pudding, a broken DVD case; and it was all fine. After all, we were siblings, and like it or not, siblings do stupid things.

I understood what this Komachi was saying. Really, I did. But what I did was completely different from all those inconsequential things. What I said to Komachi wasn't as petty as a stolen cup of pudding, nor was it as insignificant as a rental DVD.

"Komachi," I said softly, "I appreciate you trying to make me feel better; really, I do, but you can't seriously think that what I said is forgivable-,"

"Oh my god, Gomii-chan, stop doing that already." Komachi cut me off, a sheer look of disbelief on her face, "Like, seriously, you always have this problem of trying to be a mat…mar-,"

"Martyr." Yuigahama chimed in from behind.

"Right, right, what Yui-san said," Komachi gestured towards Yuigahama, "You always have this twisted way of thinking that you don't belong."

Scooting even closer, Komachi got right up in my face, her eyes flaring with emotions, "But you do! You belong with me, with Yui-san, with your friends at school that I don't know!"

"But you always think that since you don't belong, you have to hurt yourself in order to be the tragic hero just so you can fit in. That's stupid! You're stupid for even thinking that!"

"Komachi, I wasn't hurting m-,"

"Yes, you were!" She shouted, "You don't see it happening to yourself because you're a jerk, but other people can. And I know you didn't mean all those mean things you said to me or Yui-san or Yukino-san."

At the mention of one of those names, I instinctively avoided Komachi's gaze. Did I mean all those things I said? Well, I certainly wasn't holding back my feelings at the time. So I guess I could say that I definitely meant what I sa-,

"Look at me." Komachi suddenly cupped both of my cheeks, forcing me to look at her.

"I am." Was my reply.

"No, you're not," She replied, a scowl etched on her face, "You're just staring at me. There's a difference."

Reluctantly, I looked right into her eyes; the very eyes that were full of tears and malice a few days ago. But unlike last time, it took everything I had just to look her in the face.

"Onii-chan," Komachi said, "You're not fine. You're not insane either, but I can definitely tell that you're not fine."

She soon continued talking, "It's because you're conflicted, Onii-chan. You only said those things because you're stressed or pissed off or on your period or whatever."

I narrowed my eyes a bit at that last one. Yuigahama must've fed her all those lies.

"If you did really mean all those mean stuff you said, then you wouldn't be here in the first place."

Komachi did raise a good point. While my primary reason for this visit of mine was to mend the relationship of this world's Hachiman, deep down, I felt unsettled and restless due to what I did as well. But I didn't want that to be the main reason; after all, it'd be really pretentious of me, wouldn't it? To pretend to be this world's Hachiman...

"I guess you're right…"

"No, no guessing," Komachi's glare sharpened, "I am right. I know I'm right. Look, I've known you for more than ten years now, and I know that I've been a real pain in the neck."

 _You have no idea, second-Komachi._

"And well, you've stuck with me even though I'm such a troublemaker, and I…I really appreciate that."

"…"

Did she really just say that? This Komachi, who had no qualms about giving me potentially lethal martial arts strikes, had just gone soft on me. I was honestly at a loss for words as she said that.

However, Komachi assumed that my silence was me not understanding her intentions, prompting her to sigh and scoot back, her glares sharpening to a razor sharp level as she did so.

"You're not picturing this, are you?"

It was less of me understanding this and more of me wondering if I deserved to be the target of affection for this Komachi or not.

"Onii-chan, you remember that time I had a fight with mom and dad?"

Ah crap, the dreaded multi-dimensional trivia game…

"…not really?"

"…how suspicious…"

Despite a glare being directed my way, Komachi soon held her chin in contemplation, "Hmm, well it can't be helped. I might've given you a concussion or two over the years."

 _Concussions?! Poor other me…_

"Whatever; that's not the point. The point is that most of the time, what I'm arguing about is really stupid or pointless or whatever, just like that time with mom and dad. But even then, you supported me and tried to get them to see my point of view, even though my point of view was just plain wrong."

Komachi averted her gaze, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

"And I appreciate that, alright?" She said softly, "And not to mention, you've also forgiven me for…y'know, the sneak attacks, the pranks and whatnot. So, it's kinda inevitable that you'll snap one day. No one can bottle up that much pent up emotions, y'know?"

"…"

"Therefore, even if you're being a complete and utter nincompoop, it is now _my_ turn to forgive you. Like it or not, siblings have a special bond with each other, and our bond is not going to break over one stupid fight."

"So you're saying…?"

"That I forgive you, Onii-chan," Komachi said with a smile on her face, before that smile turned into a grimace, "But not completely, ya hear? It's on that _really_ thin line between not hating you and loving you, but trust me, I certainly don't hate you anymore."

"That's fair…I suppose."

I had to consider myself lucky for this one. Who knew this Hachiman would have such a forgiving sister? Then again, if what this Komachi said was true, that meant that this world's Hachiman was facing some rather tough situations as well.

Whatever; it just made what I wanted to achieve that much easier. If this Komachi doesn't hate her brother anymore, then it's fine by me. The other Hachiman can just do all the sibling bonding once he gets back… _if_ he gets back.

Aaaaah, is this some kind of divine punishment from the folks upstairs?

But it was then that I felt my face being cupped by a familiarly soft pair of hands once more. It was Komachi's hands. Just like last time, I was forced to look at her face, but unlike last time, instead of a glare, she had this weird look of…affection and pity instead.

"Onii-chan," She started, "I know that it's tough for you right now, with all these schoolwork, future jobs, college and whatever. And I can't even say I understand what you're going through because I'm not even a high school freshman yet, but know this."

Her smile widened, "Onii-chan, I'm proud of you, ya hear? And I like you just the way you are. Even if you're somehow a slider from another dimension or a heroic spirit or whatever, I'll still feel that way about you."

Releasing her hold on my face, Komachi let her arms dropped to her side.

"I love you, Onii-chan."

In that moment, I swore I could see a halo forming over Komachi's head.

What the hell? How could she say that? Now I really felt guilty for all those crude stuff I said to her. Seriously, are all Komachis this cute and lovable? It must be akin to that of a universal constant. Just like the speed of light is the maximum speed limit being constant everywhere, Komachi being the most lovable sister ever is also a constant! An undeniable, and important one at that!

 _Komachi, you're too good for this world!_

Unable to hold in my embarrassment any longer, I held a hand over my face and tried to look in the opposite direction. Obviously, this didn't sit well with Komachi as she exclaimed.

"W-What the hell are you doing?!"

"…I just…I don't know what to say…" I let out a muffled response.

As expected, Komachi's shout got louder, "Well, at least don't act like a clichéd Shoujo protagonist! You're making me embarrassed too!"

"I wouldn't be embarrassed if you didn't spout off all those lines, y'know!" I retorted, embarrassment still lingering on my face.

"Well, you know how much willpower it took me to not burst into a bonfire of shame, especially when Yui-san is here?!" Komachi even gestured towards Yuigahama, who hid her face. However, her shaking shoulders and erratic motions already showed that she was giggling to herself.

That damn woman…

Komachi growled before standing up in an instant, "You're impossible, Onii-chan!"

Before I could even get a word in, she marched out of the room with exaggerated steps, as if trying to show me that she was angry.

"Stupid, nincompoop, Hachiman!" Was she said as she marched out, her voice trailing off as she disappeared from sight.

Even then, a few seconds later, we heard the soft voice of Yuigahama's mother. She was probably asking what the ruckus was about.

Fortunately, we didn't need to eavesdrop as a shout from Komachi told us all we needed to know.

"I'm going home!"

When the noise died down, I turned to Yuigahama, and she turned to me. We had this weird look of confusion on both of our faces, but before we could even utter a single word, loud footsteps echoed throughout the house, ultimately culminating right in front of Yuigahama's room.

Unexpectedly, Hikigaya Komachi returned.

"Gomii-chan!" She shouted, her head poking out from behind the wall, "Get me a strawberry daifuku when you get back! And it's your treat, ya hear?!"

"Ah…sure." I could only give that dumbfounded response. Komachi found this satisfactory as she nodded before going on her merry way. I breathed out a huge sigh as the little bundle of energy was gone. Yuigahama also appeared quite relieved that all the ruckus was gone.

But just like before, Komachi caught us by surprise again as she rushed into the room dramatically, a glare automatically directed at me.

"And don't you think I forgot about what you said to Yukino-san," She put her hands on her hip in a show of intimidation, "Don't even think about coming home till you apologize to her. I'm serious! I'll even lock the doors!"

"Sure, sure." I responded, a bit exhausted from all her outbursts and surprises.

This time though, Komachi nodded with satisfaction as she disappeared just as she arrived. The loud footsteps that reverberated throughout the house soon stopped, and just like that, Komachi was gone from the Yuigahama residence.

After confirming that Komachi wasn't going to ambush us anymore, I let out a sigh of relief. It was then that I had the time to digest what went on. And almost immediately, I covered my face with both of my hands; whether dude to embarrassment or some other emotions, I didn't know.

But how could she say that? If this keeps up, I might just start to think that this world isn't so bad after all. Of course, my sister is superior to the one in this world, but even so, she spouted all those corny lines like it was nothing.

Aaargh, I'm getting second hand embarrassment just from thinking about what she said. What the hell, Komachi the second? Your Komachi points might even surpass the original Komachi's.

"Ehem."

A cough broke me out of my stupor. The source of it was, of course, Yuigahama, who stood beside the door, with her hands crossed. She was staring at me, as if waiting for me to do something. I didn't really understand what she was trying to say, so I merely stared at her in return.

"What?" I grunted, prompting an exasperate response from Yuigahama.

"Why didn't you tell her that you were from…another dimension?" She turned the other way just as she said that, "God, that feels weird to say…"

Ah, right. I was supposed to do that, wasn't I? But as I hear more and more of that passion-filled speech that Komachi gave, I guess that thought completely slipped from my mind. Not to mention, even though I was the one that messed up; Komachi forgave me on her own on the basis of our familial bond.

Gah, I'm a shitty brother. Across all the dimensions in the multiverse. Yup, definitely across all of them.

"Well…" I tried to put my words together, "I thought that it would be better if she didn't know that I'm not her actual brother. It would make her point moot, y'know?"

Raising her eyebrow in apprehension, Yuigahama replied, "I suppose that makes sense."

"But still, you're lying to her, y'know?"

I grimaced, "I do know that, but come on, can you blame me?"

"Yes." She replied instantly.

"That was a rhetorical question," I retorted, "It's just that…it feels better this way, you know? Besides, Komachi doesn't have to know I'm from another world."

Yuigahama looked at me in confusion before shrugging and letting out an exasperated sigh.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Yuigahama gave a scoff, "Alright, so what are we gonna do about that?"

"That being?"

Just like earlier, she gave me a confused look, except this time, it was coupled with sheer disbelief. Hey, sentences are meant to be complete, y'know?

"I'm talking about Yukinon, dummy," She replied, "Well? Are you gonna apologize to her or what?"

 _Apologize to Yukinoshita?_

I looked off to the side, "I suppose I can meet her."

Yuigahama narrowed her eyes in response, "And apologize to her. You heard what your sister said. Also, I'm not gonna let you crash at my place if you don't apologize to Yukinon."

"You do know that's a really redundant condition, right?" I pointed out her flawed argument.

"You're redundant, stupid Hikki. I seriously wonder how the other me can deal with such an annoying person like you."

"Well, I seriously wonder how _any_ person at all can deal with you." I shot back.

Just like a child, this Yuigahama stuck her tongue out at me before crossing her arms in a huff. Sure, my world's Yuigahama can be childish sometimes, but even she wasn't as obnoxiously childish as this one.

I pushed myself off the floor and lightly dusted some dust off my clothes. As I grabbed my bag, I noticed that Yuigahama was sneaking glances at me. She really should take a course in the art of mastering the 108 skills of Hachiman.

"By the way…" I really didn't want to say this, but considering what she did today, I needed to do so, just to satiate my conscience.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for…umm…taking care of Komachi and letting her stay here while I was-,"

"While you were off being a gigantic prick?" She gave a smug grin all of the sudden, as if she was waiting for this very moment, "You're welcome."

My eyes twitched a bit at her extremely apparent show of conceit, but I didn't let my emotions show.

"And also, thanks for…y'know, not blowing up at me and actually giving me a chance to explain myself."

"Hmph," Yuigahama huffed haughtily, "You're _welcome_."

"Also, for giving me that pep talk. I guess I kinda needed that." I gave her one more praise, expecting her to give that smug smile of hers again.

And as I'd expected, Yuigahama did that and actually went further beyond.

"Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu're welcome!"

She swung both of her arms in a wide arc, as if embracing all the positivity and praises that came her way. I mean, I was the source of said positivity and praises, so I wasn't sure how pure they could be.

One thing was for sure though; I was a bit ticked off.

Just a bit.

So without a shred of hesitation, I gave her one final praise.

"And Yuigahama?"

"Hmm? HMM?" She leaned in closer, as if wanting to clearly hear her well-deserved praise.

"Thanks for that kiss too."

"You're we-,"

A smirk formed on my lips. While this sure was petty, and probably something only ten year olds would do, I won't lie and say it wasn't satisfying.

Because it sure as hell was satisfying being the attacker this time.

Unfortunately though, my smirk and sense of satisfaction only lasted for a measly one second before an outraged Yuigahama managed to sneaked up behind me and firmly applied a sleeper hold.

"S-STOP REMINDING ME OF THAT!" Yuigahama yelled from behind me, her grip getting tighter and tighter, "YOU STUPID, NINCOMPOOP, HACHIMAN!"

While I really wanted to remark on her lack of original insults, my windpipes were telling me otherwise.

"Well, I wouldn't have done that if you weren't being so conceited! Besides, you don't think I'm embarrassed too?!"

"I WAS BEING CONCEITED BECAUSE I EARNED THE RIGHTS TO BE LIKE THAT!" She shouted even louder, "AND YOU BRINGING THAT UP MEANS THAT YOU'RE NOT EVEN EMBARASSED, YOU JERK!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!" I yelled back, "But seriously, let go off me! I can feel them touching me! Seriously, let go!"

I wasn't even kidding at this point. Because she was thrashing about so much, I could seriously, really feel Yuigahama's _Yuis_ pressing up against me. That just wasn't fair! How could she have the ability to attack two places simultaneously!

After a few seconds, and the fact that Yuigahama finally understood that a perfectly normal male, such as myself, needs air to function, she finally let go of her vice grip. Of course, I took in the fresh air surrounding me like a vacuum.

And my attacker? She was sitting on the floor with the biggest glare on her face for some reason. Sheesh, I knew that it was a sensitive topic for the both of us, but did she really have to lock me in a sleeper hold? My windpipes could've been crushed, or I would've fallen unconscious.

Then again…falling unconscious while being cushioned by those soft _things_ wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

After a few second of introspection, I mentally slapped myself.

 _Bad Hachiman!_

"I should get going…" I remarked after picking up my bag once more.

Yuigahama looked at me strangely as she asked, "You know where her house is?"

"Yeah."

"Stalker."

"Hell no," I fished out a small piece of paper that Hiratsuka-sensei gave to me, "I just got this from sensei; that's all. If anything, she's the stalker."

"Sheesh, I was just joking, alright?" She rolled her eyes before asking, "So...are you…gonna tell her that you're…y'know, not from here?"

Huh, I didn't realize that needed addressing. Then again, this day was really an off day for me, considering that I ran into these situations head first without any plan of action. What was wrong with me today?

"Who knows?" I replied, "If the situation arises, then I have no problems telling her that."

"Eeeh? Well then, good luck and stuff."

Once again, Yuigahama pouted as she looked off to the side. Ah, what was this strange feeling? It was almost as if I was leaving Kamakura to defend the Hikigaya household alone. Though, if I was pedantic, it would be like me leaving the puppy that I never had to defend my house.

This entire day really messed up my head.

"So…I'll be going now." I said, looking back at Yuigahama.

"Yup." She replied stoically.

I was a bit put off at her action – or lack thereof – but didn't question her any further. Yuigahama works in a mysterious way after all.

After bidding Yuigahama's mother farewell, I went outside and noticed that the sun was already setting. I really should hurry up and get this over with.

Looking at the address that Hiratsuka-sensei gave me, I sighed a bit. While I definitely knew where she was living (Her house was almost in the same location as my world's Yukinoshita), I had no way of getting there efficiently.

Because of a stupid gut feeling, I had left my bike at home, which backfired on me spectacularly. Yuigahama's apartment was a fair distance away from Sobu high, but Yukinoshita's place was a bit further than that.

Sure, I could definitely walk, but by the time I get there, the patrolling officers would probably suspect me of engaging in less than savory activities during even less than savory hours. The last thing I need is leaving a criminal record for the other Hachiman.

The railway system was still running at this time so I could definitely use that. However, who knows when I'll finish wrapping things up with Yukinoshita. Hell, worst case scenario, I'll be stuck out on the street, and be suspected of criminal activities from the patrolling officers.

Aah, multiple choices leading to the same conclusion. What is this, some kind of shitty RPG?

"You know, if you keep making faces like that, you're gonna attract ghosts to my house."

A voice from behind me sarcastically said, and I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

"What do you want?" I asked, a bit annoyed at Yuigahama's constant teasing. Oh what I would give to have the airheaded Yuigahama back.

"Oh, nothing~" She replied in a sing-song voice as she strutted over to where I was, "I was just thinking that since you were making those faces, the neighbors might get the wrong idea, y'know?"

"You could've just asked me to leave…"

Ignoring my comment, Yuigahama once again intruded into my personal space as she pushed against me in order to get a better look at the paper I was holding.

"You're too close…" I complained, but it fell on deaf ears as Yuigahama didn't even react. Instead, she held her chin in contemplation.

After a few seconds, she looked back at me – or at least, tried to – but found out that she was indeed too close, and promptly jumped back, her hands in a crude imitation of a martial art pose.

 _You were the intruder, you know…_

"Ehem," Composing herself, Yuigahama simply asked, "So you don't know where Yukinon's house is?"

"No, I do know that," I replied, "It's just…I don't really have a good way to go there."

"You didn't bring your bike?"

"Forgot it at home."

"You also forgot your rail card?"

"No," I denied once more, "There's no one way route to Yukinoshita's house, so I have to walk from the station to her house as well. But it's a bit far, and I thought that by the time we'd wrapped things up, there won't be any trains left running."

"Eh, is that so?" Yuigahama crossed her arms, sporting an inquisitive look. I wasn't really sure what she was doing, but I was about to leave on my own until she grabbed my shoulder, an extremely wide smile adorning her face.

"Then we can just take my bike!"

"Excuse me?"

She looked at me as if I was some sort of idiot. Well, I wouldn't look like one if she explained properly, but I guessed that was too much to ask from her.

"I'm saying that we should just ride to Yukinon's house together."

"Huh…" So she did explain what she meant. Then again…

"You sure?"

"Come on, you dummy," Yuigahama glared, "You can't just refuse help now. What'll happen to your quest?"

"You're making this sound grander than it actually is."

"Considering you're from another dimension, 'grander' is underselling it a bit."

"Tch."

I tried weighing my options mentally, but when I turned to Yuigahama a second time, there was that confident yet reassuring smirk adorning her face. She was the embodiment of haughtiness itself.

"You sure you can get us there on time?"

"Hmph!" She crossed her arms confidently, "I know a shortcut, so just sit back and let me do my thing and we'll be there before you can throw a fit."

With a sigh, I resigned to my fate.

"Fine."

Yuigahama broke into a smile, before dashing past me, and down the stairs.

"Hurry up, you dummy! The sun isn't gonna set any slower!"

With no choice, I followed suite, and began walking down the stairs, staring at the back of the girl who was a cacophony of emotions, and mood swings.

Light novels make this alternate world thing look so easy.

* * *

When I'd first heard that Yuigahama had a bike, I assumed it was a mechanical bike. You know, the one where you have to actively exert effort to ride it; which was why I doubted Yuigahama's ability to get us there on time.

However, like many things today, Yuigahama continued to surprise me.

Because it wasn't a mechanical bike. It was a motorbike. You know, the one where you don't have to exert too much effort to ride it.

But due to this change, there was another concern that popped up. The matter of her knowledge in riding a bike, her license and the necessary safety precautions.

Of course, like a normal human being, I brought those concerns up to Yuigahama. But I forgot one major flaw in my plan for safety; this Yuigahama isn't normal.

For you see, if a person asks you 'Where is your license?' or 'Where is your helmet?', the typical response would be to show your license and helmet, or go into your house to get those items.

But in Yuigahama's case, she dismissed my concerns with a nonchalant wave, before getting on her motorbike and proudly stated:

"I've been riding this thing since I was 15! Come on, it'll be fiiiiiine!"

It wasn't fine.

I will repeat this as many time as possible.

It

Wasn't

Fine.

It was even worse since she rode like a madman who stole a bike and was now running away from the police. I didn't know how she did it, or what mythical forces she used, but every time we came up to a traffic light, it was always green, and there were little to no pedestrians walking around so Yuigahama had free reins.

Furthermore, it seemed like the entirety of Chiba traffic officers took the day off, as we weren't stopped at any point. I seriously considered the possibility of writing a will right there and then, in the very likely case that I die in an alternate universe.

…will transcends universes, right?

When we finally arrived at – what I presumed to be – Yukinoshita's house, I was numb, both mentally and physically. During the entire ride, I was trying my hardest to not fall off. While I did have the option of holding on to Yuigahama's torso, I refrained myself from doing so – not because I was embarrassed at holding a girl from behind, but because I predicted that if I did something so bold (In Yuigahama's eyes, at least), then she would throw a tantrum, which would lead to a traffic accident.

So I was thinking about both our safety! Nothing else but safety!

"Woah, your hair's super messy, Hikki."

I glared at her. Whose fault do you think it was?

But whatever. I didn't come here to argue about the state of my precious hair after all. After all, my target was up there in that luxurious condo of hers. I breathed out a sigh. If I could restart the relationship between this Yukinoshita and the other me, then all would be good.

Though, it might be tad bit hard, considering that Yuigahama was here after all. But I didn't intend on using any of the 'self-hating' techniques (According to Yuigahama) to get back the status quo.

I'll just explain my piece of Yukinoshita, and whether she'd accept it or not will be up to her. Even if she won't accept it, I think I would've actually done the other me a favor.

After all, this Yukinoshita Yukino is not _my_ Yukinoshita Yukino.

I won't say that she isn't the real Yukinoshita, but I certainly won't accept her as the one I know.

"What are you waiting for?" Yuigahama slapped my back harshly, "Get going already!"

Once again, I glared at her.

"You do know that apartments have security measures, right? I can't just waltz in unannounced. I'll get kicked out."

Yuigahama seemed to understand this, but being the stubborn person that she was, she merely rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"My god, do I have to do everything for you?" said Yuigahama as she walked towards the apartment intercom situated at the door.

By the time I walked over to her, I could only hear her muttering something about 'Alright, see you soon!', though it was a no-brainer that she was talking to Yukinoshita.

I merely accepted this as the two of them being close friends, and decided to just wordlessly follow Yuigahama into the apartment complex.

There were some stares thrown at our way, particularly due to the way Yuigahama was dressed (Seriously, change out of your hotpants already!), but everything was going fine. The elevator had nice music; there was no awkward and forced conversation between me and Yuigahama.

Everything was fine…until I reached a certain door.

Since Yuigahama stopped here, and gestured at me to do something, the only logical conclusion was that this was Yukinoshtia's apartment. To be honest, I didn't think we would get here so fast.

Well, it didn't matter. It was better to settle this now rather than later.

With a heavy heart and an exhausted sigh, I rang the doorbell.

Two seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds…?

I looked at Yuigahama, who appeared just as confused as I was. If Yukinoshita was indeed here, then why was she taking so long? I mean, Yuigahama even said 'See you soon!' so why was this 'soon' taking so damn long?

Frustrated, I rang the doorbell once more, and when I got no response once more, I knocked on the hardwood door, just lightly enough to alert Yukinoshita if she decided to sleep in early.

This time, however, I heard the sounds of someone scurrying towards the door. Did Yukinoshita really sleep in? Even after talking with Yuigahama? No, I found that to be too farfetched, even for my taste. Then again, this was coming from a guy who came from another world.

The door swung open, and for the first time in a while, I finally heard Yukinoshita's voice.

"Ah, Yuigahama-san! I'm sorry about that; I was just clean-,"

Only to hear it deflate like a balloon in a hot summer day.

"Hau…" Yukinoshita breathed in sharply, looking like a door in a headlight, "I-I'm so sorry!"

And of course, that perfect bow of her. Quintessential Yukinoshita.

"Look, Yukino-,"

"I'm so sorry, H-H-Hikigaya-san!" She stuttered, bowing profusely, "When I heard that Yuigahama-san was coming, I didn't think that you were coming as well! So truly, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. I ju-,"

Again, she cut me off when she lifted her head up instantly, appearing as if she got an epiphany.

"That's right!" said Yukinoshita as she retreated back into her apartment, "Please wait here! I need to get something right away!"

I was about to tell her to stay put, but her franticness was too much for me to handle. As Yukinoshita disappeared back into her apartment, I gave a questioning look at Yuigahama, who merely shrugged in response.

But it seemed like I didn't need to wait that long, as she returned in less than a minute, a piece of paper in her hands. When she reached me though, she hesitated in giving me said paper. What was she even doing anyway? What was the paper for anyway?

Again, before I had time to question her, she pushed that very piece of paper into my chest quite forcefully. But it was most certainly her nerves that got the best of her.

"U-UM!" Yukinoshita barely looked at me in the eyes, as she struggled to find the right words, "I…I…well, I…"

I was really getting tired of this. So when Yukinoshita glanced at me once more, and saw my tired and frustrated face, she forcefully said.

"I wrote an apology letter to you!" She bowed again.

How annoying.

"B-But it's just the first draft though, so there might be some grammatical mistakes, and syntax errors, but if you want, I can fix it in no time! Really, it won't be a problem for me!"

I had to do a double take once I realized what I was holding.

An apology letter?

In this day and age? The 21st century?

Someone actually wrote an honest to goodness letter to express their emotions in the 21st century, in one of the most technologically advanced countries on Earth.

Maybe something can be weirder than dimension hopping.

I took the paper out of her hands. With one glance, I could already tell that it was neatly written, and there were little to no mistakes; but she didn't just write a letter. She _handwrote_ it. She literally had the time, energy, and patience to lay out a piece of paper and write on it like some sort of psychopath.

This woman…

"S-So…what do you think?" asked Yukinoshita, her nervousness clearly apparent on her face. She clutched her hands in front of her chest like a kid waiting to be evaluated by her parents.

Seeing as I didn't actually read the letter itself, I could only reply with:

"Yukinoshita, I appreciate the gesture, but I won't be here for long anyway, so I'll say what needs to be said now."

"Oh…" Yukinoshita seemed rather disappointed, "You won't be here for long then…"

I nodded. At least, she was more cooperative than Yuigahama was.

"Then, would you like to come in? I'll make tea!" exclaimed Yukinoshita enthusiastically.

At that point, I had to hold back a sigh that was threatening to escape my lips. Seriously, for someone as smart as her, this Yukinoshita really doesn't have any listening skills, does she? Ugh, please tell me she's not one of those people that conveniently ignores what other people say for her own gains.

"Like I said," I really hated repeating what I said mere seconds earlier, but it had to be done, "I won't be here for lon-,"

And for the umpteenth times today, I was interrupted again.

"ACHOO!"

A sigh promptly escaped my lips.

I glared at the source of the sneeze, who, in turn, glared back at me with an equal amount of viciousness.

"What? I'm freezing here, and you can't expect me to control my sneezes." Yuigahama said before I uttered a single word.

Well, dear Yuigahama, if you didn't wear hotpants with a t-shirt on an autumn day, then maybe, you wouldn't be freezing.

"Then would you like to come in?" Yukinoshita seized the chance to ask her, "I can make some hot tea for you."

"Yeah, sure!" replied Yuigahama with gusto.

And just like that Yukinoshita, with a satisfied smile on her face, went back into her apartment, fully expecting us to follow her. Of course, Yuigahama didn't hesitate in doing so, but when she noticed that I wasn't as enthusiastic as her, she asked me.

"Come on, dummy," She gestured towards the inside of the apartment, "Standing out here is gonna be awkward as hell anyway."

She had a point…

Begrudgingly, I dragged my feet inside, and followed Yuigahama.

She seemed like she knew her way around. Well, it was either her lack of respect for private space, or she came here before. Either way, I didn't care. In fact, I'd wager that I'll probably never come here ever again.

Yukinoshita, on the other hand, was in the kitchen, a smile still etched on her face as she prepared our tea. Seriously, how could someone be this…happy? Is this Yukinoshita that oblivious? Surely, she still remembered what I did to her.

I leaned back against the couch I was sitting on, and breathed out slowly.

Just calm down, Hachiman. Worst case scenario, this Yukinoshita was just putting on a façade, and won't be willing to let go of what I said. Then again, if this Yukinoshita is that awful, then I'll be saving the other Hachiman of all the troubles by being her acquaintance.

If that happens, then you're welcome, other me.

There was also one other strange thing happening in this room.

Namely, Yuigahama, who was sitting beside me. While she certainly exuded an aura of aloofness, I couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of…happiness (?) emanating from her. Now, I won't claim that I am some sort of intelligence service agent that could read a person's mood from just a glance at their face, but even I couldn't ignore the palpable giddiness that Yuigahama was radiating.

Ugh, what she did in her room must've have put some sort of stupid curse on me.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Yuigahama was glaring at me. It wasn't as hostile as her previous ones, but it still was as sharp as a knife. Then again, she glared at me so much that I pretty much got used to it already. Still, I seriously couldn't predict her next moves; it was as if one moment, she's the sweetest candy in the world, and another, she's Satan himself.

"Why are you looking at me so weirdly?" Yuigahama narrowed her eyes at me, "…you weirdo."

"What? I can't look at you now?" I replied, kind of annoyed at how this girl could flip-flop between emotions so much, "Forgive me for my lack of knowledge on the fact that it is a crime to look at someone. Oh wait, no it isn't."

Yuigahama's glare sharpened as she gritted her teeth, "Stop being such a smartass, smartass."

"Well, stop being so moody then."

"Hmph!" She crossed her arms, turning away from me with a childish pout stuck on her face.

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you wore actual pants instead of those…things."

Like seriously, autumn is already here yet this woman still decided that wearing shorts out in the open was a good idea? Did no one teach her about seasons at all? And because of that stupid carelessness of hers, I was forced to go right into Yukinoshita's territory.

And if my earlier assumptions about her having the slightest bit of her sister's personality were true, then that meant this entire fiasco wouldn't be to my advantage.

And who would be at fault here? Those hotpan – I mean, Yuigahama.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to be comfortable," A small smirk grace her lips, as she continued in a teasing tone "Besides, can't a girl like me look good once in a while? I mean, with the way you're looking, these legs might as well be the prettiest in the world."

…what

No…was she serious? Was I mishearing things? There's no way people in this universe have such a bad sense of listening comprehension. That's impossible, isn't it? Reading between the lines, inference, _actually_ listening – those things were taught when you were in middle school.

Yet somehow, this high school girl has worse listening skills than Kamakura.

Unable to be courteous any longer, I merely gave a sarcastic response.

"Yeah, sure, sure," I waved my hand dismissively, "Your legs are the prettiest in the world. Number one, in fact."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Dealing with this Yuigaham was tiresome; anyway, what was taking Yukinoshita so long? She was just brewing some tea, right?

And then it hit me.

…

No, seriously, something hit me in the leg.

"Ouch!" I immediately clasped my possibly injured leg, "The hell did you do that for?"

As always, Yuigahama shouted in response, "Because you were being a dummy, you dummy!"

"You're being pissy for no reason again!"

"S-Shut up!"

I glared at her. She glared at me. And fortunately, we were saved by the bell.

That bell being the serendipitous sound of a metal tray hitting a wooden table.

"You two seem to be getting along well." Yukinoshita said as she pushed one tea cup in front of me, and another in front of Yuigahama. There were also two trays of sandwiches laid out in front of us. No wonder Yukinoshita took her sweet time in the kitchen.

I broke my glaring contest with Yuigahama, and took this opportune tea break to reset the situation.

Yuigahama did the same, and seized her treats with no hesitation; and thus, we were left with a confused Yukinoshita looking back and forth between us both.

"Umm, so…" Yukinoshita began talking, "What do you think, Hikigaya-san?"

"Huh?"

 _Oh, she was talking about the letter._

I raised one of my eyebrows. Considering that she only gave that letter to me mere minutes ago, how did she expect me to read it all in such a short amount of time?

"Well, I appreciate the gesture, Yukinoshita," I said, laying her letter flat on the coffee table, "But you didn't need to do that."

"Oh…" She suddenly appeared crestfallen, "Well, I guess that's alright though. I might've gone overboard, and wrote too long…hehe."

"You do know what I'm here to talk about, right?"

Her awkward chuckle came to an abrupt halt, as her voice took a somber turn.

"Yes…"

"Good," I breathed a sigh of relief, "That makes things easier for the both of us."

Yukinoshita was still avoiding my eyes, which was expected considering her past actions. But I can't afford to beat around the bush anymore. Certainly not wither, and certainly not now; and while Yuigahama being here was a bit of a nuisance, I convinced myself that it was no problem at all.

After all, I might as well get this over with.

"Yukinoshita," She looked at me as I called her name, "I won't waste your time any more. So, I'll just get straight to the point."

She nodded in affirmation.

"I won't apologize to you."

…

…

"…eh?"

Well, that was the expected reaction anyway. Yukinoshita was certainly taken aback by what I said. Not that I blame her though; it's a normal human reaction to expect an apology after receiving a verbal beat down.

Sure, what I said was less of a beat down, and more of one-sided slaughter but nevertheless, Yukinoshita's reactions were certainly _not_ unexpected.

What was unexpected, however, was an elbow to my ribs.

"The hell are you saying, Hikki?!" Yuigahama shouted in a whisper-like voice, though that was ultimately useless, considering Yukinoshita was less than a meter away from us.

And again, I was interrupted before finishing what I had to say.

It was really annoying.

"Tch, if you just don't interrupt me, then maybe, I can actually explain." I retorted back, pushing Yuigahama, who was dangerously close to me, back towards where she was sitting.

Breathing out a sigh, I looked at Yukinoshita once more. She still had that somber look on her face, but at least, she looked like she was willing to listen to me.

Checking to see if anyone was going to cut me off again – which no one did – I repeated myself towards Yukinoshita.

"I won't apologize to you. I'll never apologize to you for what I said on that day," I emphasized every single word that came out of my mouth, sending a clear message to Yukinoshita, "I meant every single word that I said during that festival."

"…"

"I will, however, apologize for _how_ I said those things to you. It could've come out a lot better and less mean-spirited, but as you saw, I wasn't calm enough to do that."

She didn't respond yet, so I continued.

"And for that, I'm sorry." Yukinoshita shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "But I won't take back what I said. In fact, I expect an apology from you. You know why, right?"

It took a few seconds, but Yukinoshita was able to mutter a simple:

"…yes."

I wasn't angry at her. No, those days at the festival were already behind me. In fact, anger didn't encompass most of my emotions at the time.

It was disappointment.

Disappointment at the fact that I thought that someone like this Yukinoshita could be sincere, that she wouldn't be shallow, or superficial. Hell, if I was angry at anyone, it would be at myself for falling for that.

I guess, unlike in my world, the Yukinoshita sisters of this world were more closely related than I thought.

"Well, if you do know then why did you say all those things?" I asked her bluntly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Yuigahama suddenly barged into our conversation, her voice like a screech in a symphony, "I'm completely lost here."

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Look, Yuigahama. You don't need-,"

"It's okay, Hikigaya-san," Yukinoshita tried to offer some help, "I don't mind explaining to her."

Seeing as it won't be my burden, I begrudgingly replied, "Go ahead then."

Yukinoshita nodded, before turning to Yuigahama.

"Umm, well…" Yukinoshita, as expected, struggled quite a bit at finding the right words, "During the summer festival, I…said some pretty horrible stuff to Hikigaya-san, and I didn't even consider the fact that he might get hurt by it."

"Oh…I see." Yuigahama went completely silent. I honest expected her to elbow me again for being so sensitive to mere words. I guess even a brute like this Yuigahama can empathize with someone.

"Yeah…I was pretty rude back then, huh…" Yukinoshita said, her hands gripping the hem of her shirt.

 _Understatement of the year there, folks._

"So?" I brought them back to the actual topic at hand, "Why?"

She clenched her shirt even harder, "I still stand by what I said that day, Hikigaya-san. I was just playing along with their jokes."

"At my expense?"

"I am sorry, okay? It's just that…I really didn't want my relationship with Sagami-san to end so soon, and I became short-sighted because of that."

Yukinoshita breathe in, trying to lessen her stuttering.

"I just wanted to maintain my status quo with her. That's all there is to it. I didn't mean any malice towards you at all, Hikigaya-san."

"Is that so?"

"It is so!" She replied firmly, her sudden movement almost knocking our tea cups over.

I could feel someone prodding me to the side, and when I turned towards her, Yuigahama gave me a seriously weird look.

"Look, Hikki," She said, that weird look still on her face, "Like, if you won't accept her reasons, then why did you even ask her in the first place?"

"Because I expected actual reasons?"

"That is my reason!" exclaimed Yukinoshita with way more energy than I'd expected, "Hikigaya-san, I'll admit it; I…I'm not a person with many friends, alright? And I know t-this is pathetic, but I get really happy when someone wants to hang out with me."

She took in uneven breaths before continuing, "And when I first met Sagami-san, and she said that she wanted to have some fun together during summer, I was…I was ecstatic! I really was, and I wanted to do anything to keep that friendship of ours intact."

"Even hurting your other 'friend'?" I asked.

Gritting her teeth, Yukinoshita replied, "I was stupid. There's no other way to say it; I was really stupid. I didn't think thoroughly about my actions or my words."

Instead of looking off somewhere again, this time, Yukinoshita stared my straight in the eyes, a strange look of determination in her eyes.

"I know I must've hurt you, Hikigaya-san, and I won't blame you for reacting the way you did on that day," said Yukinoshita, her voice almost cracking, "Still, I hope you can still forgive me after all this."

She gave a deep bow afterwards.

"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-san," Yukinoshita apologized with a somber tone, "I'm truly, truly sorry for all the things I've said and done."

Unexpected.

That was the only thing that crossed my mind. Actually, I kind of did expect did sort of outcome, but I didn't think it would go this well. First with Komachi, and now with Yukinoshita? The gods of space and time must be feeling generous today.

Unlike Komachi, however, I technically didn't need to make amends to this Yukinoshita. While I did need to 'reset' our relationship, I didn't need to start it over so amicably. I just needed a blank canvas of a relationship so that the other Hachiman can befriend Yukinoshita, should he choose to.

Though, the discrepancy between both our memories might make that hard to do.

An elbow struck me on the side again.

"What?" I glared at the attacker, who glared at me in kind. It's like this Yuigahama was born to glare or something.

She said nothing, but gestured towards Yukinoshita instead.

 _Oi, you're gonna make me feel like the villain here._

"Yukinoshita." I called out.

"Yes?" Lifting her head up slightly, Yukinoshita began playing with the hem of her shirt again, a clear sign of nervousness.

"I…uh," I coughed into my hands to clear the tension, "I _appreciate_ you understanding that what you did was wrong."

God, I sounded like Hiratsuka-sensei.

"But honestly, you didn't need apologize so seriously," I explained to Yukinoshita, who still had a dumbstruck expression on her face, "Uhh, I'm sorry as well for not believing your _reasons_ at first."

Not that I needed to though. All I had to do was make Yukinoshita believe that we were A-okay with each other again, and any interactions with her from now on would be handled by the other Hachiman…if he comes back, that is.

Heartless? Maybe. Effective? Definitely.

I still firmly believed that this Yukinoshita is still rotten. Perhaps not to the core, but she might be one of those people who are subconsciously bratty and spoiled; therefore, she's something that I want to stay away from. I'm sure the other Hachiman would feel the same way as well, though his future interactions with Yukinoshita will be none of my concerns.

Yet…why did I feel like the bad guy?

"E-Eh? But I-,"

"Like I said. It's fine. That day is in the past now," I told a bold-faced lie, "I have no qualms with you, and I hope you won't have any with me either."

"O-Of course, I won't!" Yukinoshita replied with more energy than ever. Hell, even her face started to contort into a smile.

"I see."

A weight has definitely been lifted off my chest now. Sure, it was a scummy way to do so, but I still didn't want anything to do with this Yukinoshita. I'll let the other Hachiman deal with her. He's probably more diplomatic and used to this than I am.

Now then, to completely reset this cumbersome relationship of ours...

"Well," I spoke up, catching Yukinoshita's attention, "From now own, I hope we can be-,"

"Friends!" Yukinoshita spoke over me enthusiastically, one of her hands already outstretched to give me a handshake.

"-acquaintances…"

Silence hung thick in the air, as Yukinoshita and I stared at each other awkwardly.

Before long, I could see the colors rapidly draining from her face, her sweats suddenly pouring down from her head, and her entire body twitching from embarrassment. Her lips and hands were quivering as she struggled to find the right words to respond.

"Hau…" She exhaled sharply, her bespectacled face dazed and confused.

Definitely the villain here.

* * *

Embarrassment.

There was definitely a palpable feeling of embarrassment in the air.

And also a slight pinch of guilt thrown in.

Why? Why should I feel any guilt at all? What I did was justified…mostly. Hell, I did the best thing for both me and Yukinoshita. I created a win-win situation. Sure, her understanding of our relationship differed slightly from mine, but it all worked out in the end.

Not to mention, why was I feeling guilt towards someone who I don't want to have ties with anymore?

I sneaked a glance at the aforementioned girl, who was absentmindedly cleaning the dishes that held our sandwiches earlier in the kitchen. Before she noticed though, I averted my gaze towards the coffee table in front of me.

Unfortunately, there was a glare waiting there for me.

"You know," Yuigahama said, wiping the table to clear it of any crumbs, and stains, " _My_ Hikki would've helped us clean up by now."

Ticked off, I snatched the cloth rag from her hand before wiping the table myself, "Well excuse me for not being _your_ perfect Hikki then."

Despite the malice in her voice earlier, Yuigahama snickered in self-satisfaction once I began wiping the rug. She even plopped down on the couch ever so smugly.

Whatever; this table was small anyway.

"Umm, can I ask something?" Yukinoshita finally spoke up, her voice returning to their originally meek form.

"Sure."

"I really don't know how to say this…" She scratched her head awkwardly before a resolute expression adorned her face, "A-Are you two dating?"

"what."

That was my simple, yet effective reply.

Yuigahama, on the other hand…

"W-W-What are you saying, Yukinon!?" shouted Yuigahama, as she rose up from the couch like a mad man, "You mean m-me and Hikki dating?! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Eh? But you two seem close," replied Yukinoshita ever so calmly, "And earlier, you even said something about 'Your Hikki', and well, I just put two and two together and…"

"Then you obviously miscalculated," I replied before Yuigahama got the chance to, "It's just a stupid joke she made, alright?"

"Really?"

"Yes, **really**." I made sure to emphasize my words.

Seeing Yuigahama's frantic nodding as further affirmation, Yukinoshita gave a content smile in response.

"Ah, I see then. Saying 'My Hikki' and all that was so endearing and charming that I thought you two were a couple," Yukinoshita said," But it's just a joke between friends, huh?"

"YUP!"

I winced at Yuigahama's shout. Seriously, stop being so loud. It'll only make Yukinoshita more suspicious.

"I see, I see." Yukinoshita nodded her head, content with the replies she got.

Yuigahama sighed in relief as she collapsed back onto the couch. And here I was, worrying about Yukinoshita suspecting me of some interdimensional shenanigans.

When I began to notice how redundant my scrubbing of the table was, so I went over to the kitchen and gave the rag back to Yukinoshita.

"Also, Hikigaya-kun. If you don't mind…" Yukinoshita spoke as she washed the rag, "Can I ask another question?"

"Hmm? Sure."

"Well…" She scratched her head nervously again, "I'm not sure if you've noticed but…I think the last train is about to leave soon. So…umm, how do you plan on getting home?"

 _Excuse me?_

Whipping my head to the nearest window, I saw the blackness of night filling the sky. The street lamps were beginning to illuminate, and as a result, I unconsciously let out a whimper.

"Aha…" Yukinoshita walked over to me, "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier."

"It's…," I rubbed my forehead in exasperation, "It's fine."

Today was shitty; no doubt about it. While I did accomplish what I set out to do, it still felt like the world had one last trick up its sleeve to screw me over. I guess this was one of those tricks then. At least, make your tricks more than inconveniences, you stupid world.

"Umm…"

I turned to Yukinoshita, who looked like she wanted to ask me something.

"If you'd like, we can have a sleepover here," She suggested something so absurd so cheerfully, "Also, you haven't had dinner yet, right?"

"Well…"

"Then I can make it for all of us!" Yukinoshita suddenly came up close, before turning to Yuigahama, "Yuigahama-san, you don't mind, right?"

"Yeah, sure, why not." Yuigahama replied nonchalantly.

Nodding her head, Yukinoshita turned to me, expecting an immediate answer.

"How about it, Hikigaya-san?"

I thought about her offer; hell, I even considered accepting it. She most likely has two guest rooms in this luxurious apartment of hers, and even if she doesn't, she'll probably have a futon lying around somewhere. Not to mention the free dinner? It was a no-brainer.

Yet…

"Sorry, Yukinoshita," I replied, "I…uh, I can't stay here tonight."

"Eh? But why?"

Really? Why would you even ask that?

Coughing into my hands, I tried to find the right words. I mean, of course, I didn't care what she would think about me, but it's just common courtesy to not sound like a prick, you know? Besides, I can't just tell her that I need to go back home to Komachi, or else, Yukinoshita is going to ask me to explain even more.

"Personal reasons."

"O-Oh…"

Perfect.

"But how would you get to the train station? I don't think there's enough time even if you run there."

Not so perfect.

Then, crashing into the conversation like a wrecking ball would to a wall; Yuigahama's loud, booming voice reverberated throughout the entire room.

"You know!" She said, trying to do a kip-up off the couch, "I could just, like, drive you there? I mean, I have a bike and all that."

 _A_ _ **motorbike**_.

But I didn't give her any snark. After all, despite her obnoxious tone, Yuigahama was right. She could drive me there, and furthermore, she was my only chance if I were to go to the train station on time.

"Yeah, sure." I responded immediately.

"U-Ugh, I didn't think you would make your mind up that fast," complained Yuigahama, as she finally got up from the couch, "Alright, let's go!"

"Yuigahama-san…" Yukinoshita spoke up softly, looking like a lost puppy, "So you won't be staying here too?"

"Gah!"

Yuigahama held her chest exaggeratingly, as if Yukinoshita's mere words shot through her heart. Stop playing around already, Yurigahama.

"No, no, no!" Yuigahama vehemently denied, "I'm just gonna take this bum home, pass through my house to get my stuff, then I'll rush back here and we can have a girls only night!"

"A-Ah, I see!" Yukinoshita replied back cheerfully, "Girls night…that sounds fun."

"And it will be fun!" Yuigahama was equally energetic.

"Okay then. I'll be waiting." Yukinoshita smiled.

Seeing as Yukinoshita was okay with our plan, I went towards the door. Yuigahama followed me soon after, but before we could actually go outside, Yukinoshita called out to us.

As I turned around, two boxes were shoved into my hands.

"Umm, I…uh, thought that you and Komachi-san might be hungry so I made some prepped meals just in case," explained Yukinoshita, "It should be ready to eat, but just in case, you might want to microwave it. It's not a bother, right?"

"Uhh," To be honest, I was confused by her actions. Why did she still cling on to her relationship with me? I indirectly made it clear that we should be acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less. Yet this girl still did all this for me, as if we were longtime friends.

I seriously don't understand her.

"Thank you…"

"No problem!" She replied, "Have a safe trip, alright?"

"Yup!" Yuigahama answered for me as we soon went out the door.

Night already fell, and the blanket of darkness already enveloped the sky. Looking at the vast sky above, I couldn't help but felt insignificant; that all my problems today were insignificant.

"So…why didn't you tell her?" asked Yuigahama.

"Tell her what?"

"The dimension thingy." Yuigahama answered, annoyance laced in her voice.

"Like I said," I began walking to the elevator, "If I don't need to, then I won't."

"Eeh, is that so?" Yuigahama trailed behind me, "Then I guess I'm special, huh?"

"I guess so."

"I certainly don't feel special."

"Oh shut it."

Our ride towards the train station was relatively calm, since this time, there wasn't any mystical forces turning the lights green whenever Yuigahama came close to it. The traffic congestion also helped a bit, but still, the ride didn't take too long.

Originally, she wanted to drop me off at my house, but when we came upon the horrible state of traffic, we decided that dropping me off at the train station was the next best thing. Yuigahama apologized to me for some reason, though I just waved it off as her being weird again.

When we arrived at the station, there was still about five minutes left until the next train arrived, and due to her being weird again, Yuigahama decided to keep me company until then.

She wasn't striking up any conversation, so that was a plus. After today's events, the last thing I want is to talk. Talking is tiring. It's better to just sit around, and enjoy each other's silence.

"You're being strangely quiet, y'know?"

Yuigahama looked at me, as if expecting an explanation

"Same to you then," I replied, "Normally, you would be jabbering off."

"Well excuse me," replied Yuigahama, "So…what's on your mind?"

 _Well, ain't she perceptive?_

"It's nothing really…" Seeing Yuigahama's glare, I reiterated, "It's just that…After all this time, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm in another dimension. You know, something straight out of science fiction."

"If it makes you feel better, I also can't believe that you're not Hikki…even though you're technically Hikki."

"Well, sorry I'm not _your_ Hikki then."

"Shut it," Yuigahama leered at me, "That was a slipup, and you know it."

"Alright, alright," I snickered, resting my back against a pillar, "Still…this all feels so…what's that word?"

"Surreal?"

"Yeah, surreal," I looked at my hand, wondering if I'll be beamed back at a moment's notice, "Kinda like in a dream, y'know? Except it's a really lucid dream."

"Hey! Are you saying me and everyone here is imaginary?"

"No, I'm saying that this feels like a dream, not that it's one," I retorted, "I almost can't believe that I'm here in the first place."

Looking at me inquisitively, Yuigahama eventually gave up and let out a sigh.

"I kinda feel that way too, y'know," She admitted, "Like…one day, you might be gone, and stuff like that - Wait; do you even know how to get back?"

"If I do, don't you think I would try to do so?"

"Good point."

"But you make a good point," Seeing as Yuigahama was confused, I elaborated further, "Everything feels like it could vanish at any moment. Like…none of this is real."

"I don't know why, but that kinda pisses me off."

"Well, sue the entire Japanese language then."

"Weirdo."

"Takes one to know one."

Yuigahama responded childishly by sticking her tongue out. I swear, one of these days, a fly's going to land on it.

Looking at the time, I noticed that the train was going to arrive in a minute or so. Seeing this, I got up and went towards the gate.

"I should get going."

"Yup." Was Yuigahama's simple response.

Before I went through the gates though, I turned back to Yuigahama, and surprisingly, she was looking at me. Seizing the chance, I called out to her.

"Yuigahama…thanks for today, by the way."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome."

"I really mean it. Thanks."

"Okay, now you're just being weird." scoffed Yuigahama, looking off to the side.

Giving a small chuckle, I waved goodbye to her as I walked through the gates. But before I got through, something grabbed me by the shoulder, and spun me around.

 _~Chu~_

Something soft hit the corner of my lips. It was surprisingly sweet and…familiar. It felt like I tasted it not too long ago, in fact. Before I could think further, Yuigahama spoke up.

"Don't misunderstand, alright?" Yuigahama said, her flustered face dissipating any traces of anger that I thought she had, "I was just pissed off that you think this world isn't real."

"…"

"Well, I hope that's real enough for you, you dummy," She tried to recollect herself by acting haughty, but I could tell that she was faltering, "Now go already! And don't forget Komachi-chan's daifuku!"

She shoved me through the gates, before angrily waving me goodbye. I could only wordlessly waved back, before stepping onto the train. There wasn't many people on it, so I sat next to a window, and lo and behold, she was still standing there, her face filled with faux anger.

Soon enough, the train moved along, and the pseudo-angry face of Yuigahama was gone. Since the train was relatively empty, I tried to take a quick nap, but a singular thought at the back of my head kept on nagging me, keeping me awake as a result.

Perhaps, it was the thought of confronting Komachi again. Ah, I needed to stop by the convenience store to get her strawberry daifuku as well, so maybe that was the reason I couldn't nap. Today's events really took a lot out of me, so it should be expected that I would be out like a light once I rested on something comfortable, no?

What could it be…

Then, just as the train made a sharp turn, I was finally able to figure out what was actually bothering me.

And upon doing so, I could feel my face heating up, and the constant stream of embarrassment flooding into my brain. Not wanting the other passengers to see this, I tried hiding my face with my hands, but I didn't think even that would solve my dilemma.

That dilemma being…that I might not mind staying in this world after all. Well, compared to my earlier sentiments, at least.

I let out a huge sigh. Without a doubt, I know whose fault it is that my thoughts became this way, but even then, I couldn't help but feel flustered at the slightest thought of her.

 _Goddamn it, Yuigahama._

* * *

 **Hope you enjoy reading the chapter, and I shall be going back into hibernation. Adios!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: And Thus, Their Youthful Festival Begins**

 _Why am I here?_

Indeed, it is a question that plagues philosophers and salary-men having midlife crisis everywhere. The simple nature of this question underlies the deep, profound meaning that its answers can entail.

But that singular question is just one of many that kept many men and women up at night.

Did Plato think of where we were going? Did we, as humans, already reach the pinnacle of evolution? Or is the very nature of our surroundings integrating with us day by day, transforming us into an amalgamation of machine and man?

Or perhaps, Socrates wondered about how we began? Did god get bored and made us for fun? Or did we rise from stardust? Maybe, we'll never know…

Nevertheless, my purpose for asking such a thought provoking question wasn't really thought provoking at all.

In fact, it is the opposite of thought provoking.

 _Why am I here?_

I asked myself once more, coming face to face with the entrance of the Service club. The ever present sliding door was decorated with a simple sign that stated the club's name. I didn't remember there being a sign here before, either in this world or the other one; though if I was a betting man, it would most likely be this world's Yukinoshita who put it here.

School was already finished, and since I had no homework and no chores to do at home, I thought that I'd make Hiratsuka-sensei keep her end of the deal that we made a few days before this one.

Unfortunately for me, it seemed like she telepathically knew that I was coming and had already left the faculty office. Seeing as it would be a waste of energy to search for her, I opted to just handle it with the Service Club's president instead.

Exhaling rather loudly, I steeled my nerves before opening the door. I'd rather not interact with Yukinoshita at all, if possible; but we all can't be winners.

As soon as I opened the door, the rays of the setting sun immediately assaulted my eyes, forcing me to cover them, just so I won't get blinded. But as I did so, I was able to notice someone sitting in a chair by the windows.

Someone who has extremely long hair; so long that her hair actually covered the back of the chair.

Someone who looks extremely graceful and mature.

Someone….

"Yukinoshita?" I asked, still shielding my eyes from the sunlight.

But as 'Yukinoshita' got up, I narrowed my eyes and suddenly realized.

 _Wait a minute…_

"Hmph!" She spun around dramatically, extending one of her arms far and wide, "You thought it was Yukinoshita, but it was me, Shizuka!" **[1]**

And so I stood in front of Hiratsuka-sensei awkwardly as she embarrassingly made an old anime reference that even I didn't get. It was kind of amazing actually, especially how she hold her pose for seemingly forever without collapsing into a singularity of embarrassment.

Using the awkward seconds to think about my next course of action, I decided to just do the right thing immediately.

"Hm," I reacted monotonously, "Goodbye."

I turned towards a door, but in a flash, Hiratsuka-sensei somehow managed to travel across the room and grip my shoulder. Tightly, might I add.

Very tightly.

"Wait, wait, wait!" She exclaimed.

I looked at her inquisitively. Sure, she was the one I wanted to find earlier, but her mental state might not be in the best state to process my request right now.

So it was only logical to leave the vicinity of a mad person, right?

"…yes?"

"Ehem," She coughed into her hands once she knew my attention was on her, "Hikigaya, why so quick to leave? You did just get here, right? Have a seat."

"Hiratsuka-sensei," I began talking, a little unnerved at her strangely cryptic smile, "School's already over, y'know? So I really have to get home right now."

"Eh? But you _willingly_ came to the Service Club, right? So you must have some business with its members?" Her creepy smile was on full display, "Besides, you can't use your little sister as an excuse. She's at her club right now."

"And how do you know that?" I asked. Even I didn't know Komachi was in a club.

"Sources." She simply replied.

I glared at her. "Stalker."

" _Sources,_ " Hiratsuka-sensei corrected, still smiling. Seeing that I didn't have a response ready, she took this as her cue to continue, "Well? You want to say something, right?"

I sighed.

Well, since she was here after all, might as well get this thing over with.

Before I could do, she raised her hand up, shushing me like I was in kindergarten.

"Hikigaya, I know it's rough."

"…what?"

"Trust me, I've been teaching for many years."

 _Too many years._

"And I know when a student is conflicted," She shrugged nonchalantly, trying to look cool and aloof, even though it had the opposite effect, "You're experiencing cognitive dissonance right now, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

Shaking her head, she replied, "Don't fool yourself, Hikigaya. It's unhealthy."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"…"

"Sensei?"

"That's a rhetorical question, right? Of course it is. Anyway," She rushed through her whole spiel, not giving me a chance to retort, "If you want to find Yukinoshita, she's not here."

"Oh…" I wondered if Hiratsuka-sensei and I were on the same page. We were, weren't we?

"Well, it's not a problem," I said, fishing an envelope out of my bag before handing it to Sensei, "Here. You told me I could quit the club if I reconcile with Yuigahama and the others, right?"

I handed her the letter with no hesitation. I contemplated telling Yukinoshita about my resignation from the club when I'd visited her apartment last time, but I'd figured that it wasn't the right place or time to do so.

Reluctantly taking the envelope, which contained my club resignation form, Hiratsuka-sensei stared at it incredulously with a faux smile. Then she stared at me with that weird smile still plastered on her face before switching her attention to the envelope once more.

This rapid-fire switches between her focus continued for quite a while before she said:

"Oh crap, you're serious?"

"Of course, I am. Why?"

"I just…" She quickly tore the envelope open and reached for the resignation form inside, staring at it briefly, "I didn't think you were gonna actually quit the club."

Narrowing my eyes, I replied, "Well, you said I could do it, right? Why are you surprised?"

"It's…" She scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "I thought you were bluffing."

"Well, I wasn't," Turning on my heels, I began walking the other way, "See ya."

Unexpectedly, Hiratsuka-sensei began walking besides me. Even though I was speed-walking, this woman still somehow nonchalantly kept up with me.

"Wow, you actually filled this form correctly," Sensei said as she inspected my resignation form.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"It's surprising, to be honest," She said without stuttering, "I seriously thought it was one of those 'I'm quitting the club, but not really' sort of storyline, y'know?"

Narrowing my eyes at her, I responded, "Sensei, this isn't a light novel."

"I know that!" She exclaimed, huffing and puffing with a pout. Sensei, please stop. You won't look any younger.

"But Yukinoshita's going to be sad, y'know?"

I winced.

So she followed me just to keep me in the club? Ugh, I should've just ran, but then again, this Hiratsuka-sensei might be unhinged enough to run after me to pester me like a desperate salesman.

"And what of it? If she's sad, then that's her problem; not mine," I retorted swiftly, picking up my pace.

As expected, Hiratsuka-sensei began walking faster as well.

"Well, what about Yuigahama then?" She asked, apparently having no problem catching up to me, "You two are close, right?"

"I-I wouldn't use the word 'close'," I replied, trying to turn away from Hiratsuka-sensei's peering eyes.

Crap, why did I flustered at the mention of Yuigahama? In fact, I could already feel the flow of otherworldly desires into my brain. Maybe I should finally learn how to chant a Heart Sutra, but I doubt even that would get cleanse my brain.

 _Be gone thoughts!_

"Really now?" Hiratsuka-sensei said, her tone doubtful, "You know, a certain birdie might've told me that you two are more than _close_."

I decided to not be hesitant with my replies this time, unless I want Hiratsuka-sensei to take advantage of it.

"Then your _birdie_ is lying. We're just club mates; nothing more, nothing less."

"But that's boring," whined Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Well, the truth is boring," I replied, before I stopped walking and looked back at her, "And also, can you stop following me? It's gonna be weird to have someone see you like that."

Unexpectedly, Hiratsuka-sensei raised an eyebrow in confusion, as if she was oblivious to the whole thing. It was only after a few seconds that she'd realized her original purpose, evident by her letting out a drawn out 'Ooooh'.

"I need a favor, Hikigaya," She said, ignoring what I've previously said.

"Sorry, but I'm busy," I refused, knowing that if I get swept along with her plans again, it's just going to land me in more troubles.

"Don't be like that!" She patted me on the back roughly, obviously trying to be friendly.

 _Sensei, that's not being friendly. You're just hurting me!_

"Besides, Hikigaya," Her voice was strangely smooth and suave this time, "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse."

"I refuse."

"I didn't even say anything yet!" She exclaimed in an exaggerated fashion, "Come on, just think of it as a request for the Service Club."

Narrowing my eyes, I responded, "I'm not a part of the Service Club anymore, remember?"

"Oh come on, don't be a stick in the mud," She whined, "It's for the Cultural Festival, ya see? So I really need volunteers."

Ah, the Cultural Festival. The seven stages of hellish preparation had already begun, huh? Well, since I didn't really pay much attention to what was going on in the school, I had no idea it was this time of year already.

"I would've just put you as a volunteer, but it seems better to let _you_ volunteer instead, right?" She explained her nonsensical excuse, "It'll be a win-win situation for the both of us."

I briefly considered her offer, and even though about entertaining it, but as soon as the word 'Cultural Festival' went through my mind again, my mind was immediately brought back to when I was enslaved and stuck in the committee room for god-knows how long.

Ugh, the piles upon piles of folders and paperwork still haunts me to this very day. Not to mention, the stupid chairwoman ruined everything; and what was to blame? The very idea of a cultural festival itself.

It's honestly baffling how we still keep up this tradition of having a cultural festival. What kind of culture are we celebrating? The school's own culture? You mean the culture of doing the exact same thing as every other school with the stereotypical booths, cafés, dances, concerts, and all those other stupid traditions.

Even if it was the school's tradition, then we still shouldn't do it; traditions are for idiotic people anyway. In fact, who was the smartass that puts together 'culture' and 'festival' anyway? That person should be erased from history itself and a law should be passed that bans the use of the words 'culture' and 'festival' near each other!

"Hikigaya?"

I broke out of my stupor when Sensei asked me concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to say no to that one," Before she could retort, I quickly continued, "Since I had some…questionable experience with cultural festivals."

"Then just make some new memories," Hiratsuka-sensei said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You know it's not that easy, right?"

What she said might apply if I was actually in my own world, but as things stand right now, I'm sure as hell not going to replace my memories – the real one – with the new ones here. Sure, there might be _that_ thing with this world's Yuigahama, but I'm sure everything will work out in the end.

Probably.

Which was why I intend to stay as low profile as possible, a goal that would be outright impossible if I am a committee member for the cultural festival. I mean, the last time I was one, things went extremely south; which was an experience that I don't want to repeat.

"Besides, you can just depend on Yukinoshita, right?" I said, starting to pick up my pace once more, "I'm sure she'll be more than happy to help you."

And just like last time, this freak of a teacher managed to catch up to my speed-walking pace with no problem.

"Yeah, well you see…"

I didn't wait for her to finish though. Whether it'd be in this world or the other, Hiratsuka-sensei always had a way with her words that mysteriously coerces me into doing whatever was on her mind.

And so I ran.

But almost immediately, my full proofed escape plan was foiled when I rounded the corner in front of me. Normally, considering the activities of high school students after 5:30 pm, you'd think that the hallways would be completely empty.

But that wasn't the case this time.

I could feel myself falling backward at the moment of the crash, but fortunately for me, it seemed I wasn't the only one who'd taken a fall.

As I trailed my eyes over the papers and clipboards scattered around the both of us, I found myself inexplicably drawn towards the shapely…glistening thighs, just covered by a skirt and a pair of spa-

"Ehem," I coughed in an attempt to gather my composure. When I get home, I really should read up on the Heart Sutra. This girl is bad for my heart in every single universe.

"Ow…" My _victim_ rubbed her hip awkwardly, "Wait, Hikki?! What are you doing here?"

"Trying to not bump into you," I replied, already picking myself up, "But apparently, I failed."

"Ha, ha. Quit being a smartass already."

As she brushed dirt off her skirt, I extended out a hand to help her up. Reluctantly, she accepted my gracious offer and pulled herself up.

For a girl with soft hands, she sure has quite the pulling strength.

"Wait…you didn't see, did you?" Yuigahama asked, pulling her skirt down in an attempt to hide her legs.

I shrugged, "See what? You have spats on anyway, so even if I was looking, I still can't see anything."

"AH! You **were** looking then, you dummy!" She used one hand to hold down her skirt, while using the other one to jokingly hit me in the arm.

While I said jokingly, it was like being hit with a Bullet Punch.

Besides, she was the one who changed her outfit all of the sudden. Autumn might be on the horizon, but who wears spats during autumn anyway? If you want warmth, just wear a pair of pants or pantyhose. At least those things would cover your legs and give you some decency.

"I was looking at the papers," I gave my poor excuse of a reason, and began to pick up the aforementioned papers and clipboards just to further cement the fact that I was indeed not looking at her spats.

"Hmm…" Yuigahama didn't believe me at first, but she soon relented as she, too, bent down and picked up her papers.

As we finally organized the last piece of paper into a neat stack for Yuigahama to do whatever she wants with it, Hiratsuka-sensei finally came by, walking as nonchalantly and calmly as possible.

It was as if she knew that I would be slowed down to a halt by this pink-haired delinquent.

"Ah, Yuigahama. Good timing," Hiratsuka-sensei said as she slowed to a stop, "Are you running errands again?"

"Yeah…" Yuigahama suddenly narrowed her eyes, "I can't believe those guys! They're making me work my butt off!"

"Sounds like normal committee activities to me then," Satisfied with herself, Hiratsuka-sensei turned on her heels and went the other way, "Well then, I'll leave Hikigaya in your care."

"Wait, Sensei, what did you mean by that?!"

Despite Yuigahama's rambunctious yelling, Hiratsuka-sensei was already out of earshot. Either that or she pretended to ignore Yuigahama. Both possibilities are equally infuriating.

Seeing as I wasn't needed here anymore, I tried to sneak out of Yuigahama's point of view as she was busy being baffled by Hiratsuka-sensei's sudden departure.

That was…until a demonic hand grasped my shoulder for the second time today.

"Where do you think you're going, Hikki?" Yuigahama growled, her grip tightening.

With a calm tone, I replied, "Home, of course. Did you know that crime rates increase by 20% after 5:30 pm?"

"Did you know that 70% of statistics are bullshit?" She retorted.

I swallowed a lump forming at my throat unconsciously.

"And why are you even here anyway? You're normally gone the moment the bell rings."

Sensing that her anger was dissipating somewhat, I turned around and tried to reply. But my words got stuck in my throat once I noticed that Yuigahama's face was adorned with blushes, which were further accentuated by the rays of the setting sun.

She must've been flustered from running, or perhaps, it was due to me bumping into her. Either way, her face was…ethereal and glowing, and the aforementioned bump we had earlier wasn't helping my heart slow down.

I breathed in and out slowly.

This was just the suspension bridge effect. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, I shouldn't even be thinking of _this world's_ Yuigahama that way. Even if we somehow became…more than what we currently are, it would only end in heartbreak and a broken relationship, which is the last thing I wanted for the other Hachiman.

Coughing loudly into my hand, I replied, "Ah well, I had some business to take care of with Sensei."

"Eh, really? What business?" Yuigahama pressed on.

I could've said that I was asking her about assignments or grades, but since she was here with me and we were alone anyway, I might as well tell her the truth. She already knew that I'm not her Hachiman, so why even bother hiding anything unimportant.

"I was…" It took a few seconds, but I was able to find the right words, "Submitting a form…for my resignation."

Her eyes widening in shock, Yuigahama shouted, "WAIT! You're changing schools?!"

"What? No," I replied. How could that thought even cross her mind? Sobu is not a particularly easy school to get into, and I wasn't about to sabotage the other Hachiman's future plans, "I was talking about quitting the Service Club."

"Oh…wait, WHAT?!"

"You didn't have to shout, y'know?"

"B-B-But!" She stuttered, "I…you…Service Club?!"

"I can't understand what y-,"

Yuigahama suddenly grabbed both of my arms, dropping the neat stack of paper she had. She then proceeded to shake me around like some sort of protein drink while asking – or rather, yelling at me.

"Why are quitting? I know your relationship with Yukinon isn't that good, but what about me?! And we'd just fixed up our problems as well!"

Somehow, I managed to grab Yuigahama's sides and forced her to slow down to a halt. She was still looking at me in confusion as I replied.

"Look, you've already seen what I've done to Yukinoshita. If I continue to be in the club, then it's just going to end up in ruins."

"No, it won't!" She retorted loudly, "I'll make sure it won't!"

Looking around for other people first, I then replied, "I know how you feel about me, and I really appreciate that. Hell, I'll even say that I enjoy spending time with you."

"And before you say anything, I'm not 'sacrificing' anything for you or Yukinoshita. I'm technically doing this for myself," I cut Yuigahama off, "This is for the best course of action. The less I'm involved with you guys, the less problems there will be for us and _your_ Hachiman."

Yuigahama pouted, which made her face quite ridiculous since she was also trying to show anger at the same time.

"You're being an idiot again," Yuigahama stated without any hesitation.

"Yuigahama. You made it painfully clear that you care about me, but the fact is that I'm still not your Hachiman. What if your Hachiman comes back right this instance? What if you get too attached to me, and I'm gone the next second? I don't want that on my conscience." I tried to reason with her, pretentious as my reasons may be.

But instead of calming her down, it made her more frustrated, if her scrunched up eyebrows were any indication. Her fists were balled up and shaking, and even I was afraid of her unleashing her wrath.

Instead, she merely exhaled in exasperation.

"Hikki," She looked up at me, "Don't you think I've thought about that scenario? Don't you think I've thought about _my_ Hachiman? I've had several days and hours upon hours to think about this stupid dilemma you brought up."

Her enraged face softened up, and she began focusing on anything other than me. She must be feeling tense about this situation too then.

"I don't know if it's right to love my Hachiman while also loving you. It should feel wrong, but instead, I'm happy. I'm happy being with you. I'll also be happy if I can be with my own Hachiman as well. If you're enjoying yourself, then I'll do so as well."

Walking closer to me, Yuigahama poked my chest several times, emphasizing her words as she did so.

"And every single time I've wracked my brain about this problem, I've come to the same conclusion," She looked up at me, her eyes determined, "I still love Hikigaya Hachiman, no matter what zany world you come from."

I didn't even try to retort with the same old 'You only love your Hachiman' excuse. It was too weak of an excuse; not to mention, I know it isn't true, and she knows it isn't true as well. This Yuigahama loves me. She truly loves Hikigaya Hachiman, whether the one in this world or the next.

But was I deserving of such unconditional love?

I didn't dare ask, since Yuigahama was adamant about making sure that fact stays in my head, whether I like it or not. It would be a bold-faced lie to say that I didn't appreciate her. In fact, I'll even say that this Yuigahama makes my heart flutter in more ways than one.

However, it made trying to distance myself from her that much harder.

"You're being really unfair by saying that, y'know…" I tried to cover my flustered face with one hand, but Yuigahama immediately saw this, and chose the most opportune time to invade my personal space.

"You're being unfair by trying to quit the club."

"I _am_ quitting the Service Club," Before Yuigahama could reply, I cut her off again, "I mean, I'll still be open to hanging out with you…and maybe, Yukinoshita…or whatever. I'm just saying that I need some space. **We** need space."

Yuigahama made a dumbstruck face, as if what I said completely flew over her head.

"Oh wow. This is a strange feeling," She said, her stoic face belying her sarcastic tone, "We're not even dating, and I'm already being dumped."

I grumbled, "Stop saying that. You know I'm talking about us three."

Waving off my comments nonchalantly, she said, "Oh shut it, I'm just joking."

"Right…"

"But I'm not letting you off the hook just yet, y'know."

Grimacing slightly, I asked her, "What? You're gonna make me be your slave for one day or something to compensate for this?"

"Good idea," She said, obviously joking, "But as entertaining as that is, I have a better one in mind."

"Which is?"

"Help me with festival committee stuff." Yuigahama simply said.

"…why?"

Instead of just telling me to shut up and take my punishment like a man, Yuigahama sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she began explaining.

"Well, ya see. Yukinon went and volunteered herself as a helper for the festival committee."

"And that got something to with me how?" I asked.

"Ah, there's this catch," She said, raising a finger, "Yukinon didn't volunteer as a class rep for the committee. Instead, she volunteered as a rep for the Service Club."

I pursed my lips into a straight line. A frown wouldn't be necessary to show my displeasure at this development anyway.

"Oh come on, don't make that face!" Yuigahama berated me, "I'll have you know that she didn't put us in the helpers list, so we aren't being forced to help them."

"If we're not being forced to, then why are we helping them anyway?"

If you have a chance to walk away from troublesome things, then do it. How could she have the audacity to join in and try to get me involved as well?

"Well…I feel sorry for Yukinon, y'know?" replied Yuigahama.

"That's not a valid response."

Glaring at me, Yuigahama lightly hit me in one arm, "Shut it. Besides, that's not the point."

"Then get to it already."

Giving a pout, she replied, "I just want to spend some time with you. Is that so wrong?"

Her answer stunned me for a second, as my eyes widened and my face began heating up. I quickly covered the lower half of my face before responding.

"It's wrong to force me into menial labor, y'know."

"Why are you so against the committee anyway? Did you have a bad experience during middle school or something?"

"Well…" I looked around us to see if there was anyone in the area. Seeing no visible signs of life, I began talking, "You know how I'm from…another place?"

"Just say 'dimension', you bozo," She reprimanded me, "We already went over this, didn't we?"

"I'm just trying to be safe," I grimaced, "Anyway, there was a culture festival during this time in that other dimension, and let's just say that it was…"

"Complete shit?"

I felt a bit stung when she said that. After all, I was part of the festival committee and no matter how crap the festival turned out to be, I still felt a sense of pride and accomplishment when everything was said and done.

Even if said sense of pride and accomplishment basically vanished due to one brown haired girl.

"…sub-par," I finally said, after much deliberation.

"Why? Did you get beat up or something?"

Almost instinctively, I tried to deny it, but when I took a good second to think about it, that kind of thing did happen at the end of the festival on that rooftop. I swear, that bastard Hayama almost gave me a concussion by throwing me at a wall.

Surely, he could've just verbally insulted me and white-knight Sagami instead, no?

Ah, I seriously don't want a repeat of that incident here.

"You could say that…"

"Ooh…But you're _here_ now, right?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, you're in another dimension!" Yuigahama shouted, uncaring if anyone else heard her statement. Seriously, think about the time and place, you bonehead. At least have the decency to talk calmly, and not announce to the entire school that I'm a slider.

"So things are gonna be, like, totally different, right?" Pointing to herself, she continued, "I mean, I'm different, and so is Yukinon! So there's no way you're gonna repeat what happened in your dimension."

Seeing my disappointed look – which was aimed at her uncontrollable voice, more than anything – Yuigahama continued to reassure me.

"Besides, you're gonna be with me, right? So I can just, like, scare potential bullies away."

"That isn't reassuring at all."

"It's _totally_ reassuring!" Yuigahama harshly slapped my back several times, "So come on! Do it for me! Do it to get into the school spirit!"

 _I'm not going to get out of this unscathed, am I?_

Groaning, I rubbed my face drearily, "That's not a really good incentive, but whatever. Let's just get this stupid festival over with."

When I looked back at Yuigahama, her mouth was hanging open and her eyes looked like those of a deer that was about to be run over. I didn't know my words were magical incantations in this universe, but alas, the moment I waved my hand over her face, she broke out of her stupor and shouted.

"Holy hell! You're serious?!" She asked in disbelief.

"Do you want me to help you or not?" I asked, annoyed.

But this time, it seemed my words didn't freeze her up like last time. In fact, it appeared to have reenergize her as her mouth stretched into an overly happy grin.

In a flash, she gathered up all the papers and folders she dropped earlier before getting up to my eye level again.

With a glint in her eyes, Yuigahama said, "Well, what are waiting for?! Let's go!"

Pumping her fist into the air energetically, Yuigahama began leading the way to the committee room. I watched her walked away for a while to see if she'd noticed if I bail on her.

She didn't, and I obviously could just escape right then and there, but…I don't think the consequences would be pretty.

And with a lethargic pump of my own fist, I began following the Service Club's resident airhead-turned-delinquent.

* * *

The atmosphere of the committee room when we got there was…calm? No, perhaps, dead?

Whatever it was, it didn't seem like a proper committee room to me. Where was all the noise? The hustling and bustling? The sounds of keyboard clacking over and over again, as students with little to no agenda-preparing skills tried their best to make sense of what they were doing.

In order words, the cultural festival committee room was a little too quiet for my taste.

"Wassup guys!" Yuigahama barged in without any sense of poise or grace as she greeted the students still remaining in the room. Despite the large space and the huge number of chairs occupying said room, I would probably say that only half of the space was occupied.

And of course, sitting at the helm of it all was the ever cold and calculated Yukinoshita Yukino.

…wait, what.

"Ah, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita said, lifting herself up to greet us with a bow, "How did it go?"

Grinning widely, Yuigahama slapped her papers down on Yukinoshita's table callously, "Well, well, well. Looks like I'm not that bad at negotiating after all."

Yukinoshita gasped for some unknown reason before clasping Yuigahama's hands.

"You really mean-!"

"Yup!" Yuigahama exclaimed, "I got four stores to agree to let us hang our posters!"

What followed their exchange was a high pitched shriek that was powerful enough to crack glass. I noticed the other students looking our ways, but they quickly turned back to their own work. Was this a regular occurrence?

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I shouldn't have been so nice and followed Yuigahama.

Maybe I should just…slip away. They won't notice after all…

"Ah, Hikigaya-san."

I sighed.

 _Figures. I can never get a break._

Turning to Yukinoshita, I somehow inadvertently caused the Service club's president to avert her eyes, like I was Medusa or something. Come on, it's been days already. Surely, we can talk without this stupid cat and mouse interaction.

"Umm, it's nic- I mean, good! It's good to see you! Again, I mean…" Yukinoshita said forcefully, trying to not choke up on her very words before bowing awkwardly.

As for me…

"Yeah, sup."

I simply didn't have anything to say. Hell, the only reason I was here was because Yuigahama was here.

Knowing that this conversation won't go anywhere, Yuigahama smartly decided to jump in.

"So Yukinon," Yuigahama said, bringing the attention back to herself, "Is there anything else left for today?"

As Yukinoshita began to speak up, I took the opportunity to survey the room. I wasn't an official part of the committee, and Yuigahama promised that I would merely be doing odd jobs, so I didn't find the need to listen to Yukinoshita.

While the gloomy and overall unenthusiastic atmosphere of the room wasn't surprising, what was surprising was the fact that Yukinoshita was the only one who looked like a leader in the room. Where was the president? Hell, where was everyone that doesn't look like a lackey?"

"Yukinoshita," I interrupted both her and Yuigahama's conversation, "You're the president of the committee, right?"

"O-Oh no, I couldn't handle that," She waved her hands around frantically as she denied it, "I'm just your average, run-of-the-mill vice president."

 _Just like last time then._

"So who is?"

"It's Sagami," Yuigahama responded for her, apparently busy doing something with her phone.

Ignoring Yuigahama, I looked behind Yukinoshita, at the place where Sagami was supposed to be, but instead of a girl with short hair, I found a mere nameplate with the word 'President' on it.

"And she isn't here…" I said, exasperated. If this Sagami was already skipping out on her duties to do who knows what, then this festival was going to be an ever bigger mess than the one I participated in.

"Oh come on, Hikigaya-san," Yukinoshita tried to wave off my concerns, "She's the executive management after all, so she has to think up of strategic decisions and such. The middle management, like me, should be the one to concern themselves with the operations."

"Right…"

I didn't try to refute her claims. Sagami was being her same lazy self, but I found no need to tell Yukinoshita that, nor did I have to expose that annoying side of Sagami to anyone. I was here to do menial labor and that was it. I didn't have to be the school's scapegoat for anything.

"…are you kidding me?" Yuigahama suddenly spoke up, her voice shaking from anger.

"Yuigahama-san?"

With narrowed eyes, Yuigahama shoved her phone right into both our faces. It took a few seconds for me to register what she wanted us to look at, but when I did, I also narrowed my eyes.

"She's at the goddamn karaoke!" Yuigahama shouted loudly; loud enough that it caught the attention of everyone else in the room.

And that was when the murmuring started.

Being a person who spends almost all of his time listening to the incessant ramblings of Hayama and his clique, I was able to easily decipher what each and every one of the other students in the room was muttering about.

Basically, trash-talking.

And it seemed like Yukinoshita understood the discomfort and unfairness that everyone in the room was feeling as well. While the lackeys were toiling away in a mentally depriving room, the president and her cohorts were out and about, having fun like nobody's business.

Yukinoshita looked around the room in distress before managing to squeak out a terrible excuse for Sagami.

"Come on, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita addressed Yuigahama, though her voice was loud enough for the people in the back to hear, "I think she's just negotiating with the karaoke owners, you know? So we can hang our posters and such…"

"Yukinon, she's singing!" Once again, Yuigahama shoved her phone into Yukinoshita's face, "That damn Sagami isn't doing anything! She's just having fun while we're working our asses off!"

Just like last time, the murmurs started, but _unlike_ last time, they got clearer and louder. If I didn't know any other, I would think that this was the start of the Sobu Cultural Revolution, led by none another than a very pissed off pink haired delinquent.

Unfortunately, I seriously didn't want to see this Yukinoshita completely freezing up from the pressure and break down; and I certainly didn't want a civil war to start brewing before the Cultural Festival even started.

With the loudest voice I could muster, I asked Yukinoshita.

"Well, you have anything else left on today's agenda?" Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see that I attracted quite a few onlookers, "Maybe some of us could get it done so we don't have to worry as much."

Yukinoshita looked at me in confusion before realizing what I was trying to do. I snickered a little; this Yukinoshita isn't as airheaded as I thought. Of course, she still didn't have the initiative of the original Ice Queen, but this was enough for now.

Flipping rapidly through her tiny notebook, she scanned for any incomplete items on today's list of objectives.

"R-Right!" She looked at me before turning to the rest of the students, who, by now, was trying to appear as if they were working, "Umm, we still have to contact a few stores in the shopping district, help some of the students set up the outside booths, and if possible, can anyone take the art supplies to the storage room near the rooftop?"

Murmurings began again, but it didn't seem full of energy like last time. People looking at their friends before switching their gazes back to their laptops or papers. Some gave a quick glance to us before averting their eyes. They were extremely restless; and that wasn't a good thing.

In other words, no one want to do anything for the remainder of today.

"Anyone…?"

As expected, Yukinoshita could only meekly utter her request once more, but seeing as her voice was so quiet, no one in the room pay any heed to their vice president's request.

Sighing, I spoke up.

"I could take the supplies."

"I-Is that so, Hikigaya-san?" Yukinoshita looked at me earnestly, "Thank you so much."

"Well then, I'll go with you," Yuigahama chimed in, doing mock stretches.

"No. No, you won't," I denied her help, causing Yuigahama to get up in my face.

 _Does she have no sense of privacy? Give me at least 50cm of breathing space, please!_

I took a step back before gesturing Yuigahama to come closer. Before she could come too close, like last time, I whispered my reasons to her.

"Yukinoshita need someone to convince those guys to work," I told her briefly, "I mean, you're good at communicating with people, right? Then help her."

Yuigahama's face turned from one of realization to one of discontent, before she finally settled for a face of acceptance.

"Alright, fine!" Yuigahama exclaimed.

As I was about to ask Yukinoshita where the boxes were, Yuigahama suddenly grabbed my collar, pulling me closer to her than I've ever imagined.

"Just for this stupid little favor of yours, you're hanging out with me during the festival. Got it?"

A nod was all I could do for a response to the overwhelming aura of THE Yuigahama Yui.

She let me go, and I noticed quite a lot of eyes on the two of us. Seeing as I'm the sort of person who hates attention, I coughed quite loudly before asking Yukinoshita where the supplies were, to which she happily replied.

When I brought the numerous boxes out of the room (All of which were very heavy), I noticed that the sky was already beginning to be painted in an orange hue. Sighing, I could only trudge along the hallway alone with the extremely heavy boxes in my arm, hoping to not break anything and finish this task before the sun set.

Maybe I should've accepted Yuigahama's offer after all.

But as I walked further and further away from the committee room, I began sensing a chill running down my spine. I suspected that it had something to do with the darkness of the autumn evening approaching closer and closer; however, while I understood that reasoning, it still didn't explain one other, itsy, bitsy little thing that was putting me off.

Footsteps.

Footsteps that were out of sync with my own.

Inhaling deeply, I picked up my pace. There were still lights in the hallway, of course, and most likely, I'll run into a janitor or the maintenance guy, however, I would still like to leave this place before darkness completely sets in.

They say that the only reason people feel unnerved when they are walking alone is due to the the fact that the mini vibrations coming from their footsteps reverberate throughout whatever enclosed area they're in, effectively reproducing another set of footsteps that follow that very person.

Of course, being the logical person that I am, my mind immediately wandered towards that line of thought.

However, the other set of footsteps that I was hearing wasn't mirroring my own.

They were slower.

More methodical.

More striking.

So I walked faster.

The footsteps following me picked up its pace as well.

Before long, I had to make a left turn in order to go up the stairs, so I can reach the storage room by the rooftop. I could hear the footsteps behind me slowing down to a stop as well. And that was when I was sure that I was being followed by someone…or something.

 _Something_? Preposterous, right?

After all, what kind of monster would follow a lonesome high school student during an autumn evening?

However, considering the fact that I am, after all, not in my actual world, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that the a Great Old One was following me in order to correct the timeline or send me to the shadow dimension by crushing me with one of its many appendages.

 _Ugh, I think my chuunibyou years might have had a permanent side effect on my mind._

When I did have to turn left though, I wished it had been a Great Old One stalking me instead. At least, I would be interested in seeing if they actually looked like a certain part of the brain **[2]**. My slightly rapidly beating heart slowed down considerably and my mouth hung open slightly at the absurdity of what I was seeing.

"Boo!"

Indeed.

It was Yukinoshita Haruno.

As soon as she did a mocking impression of a kid in a ghost costume, the silence and awkwardness in the air multiplied tenfold. I was the one with the high ground, yet I still felt a sense of vulnerability.

"Ah."

That was all I could say as a response.

Haruno continued to stare at me curiously, as if beckoning me to ask her questions, like why was she here? Why was she wearing a sleeveless sundress during an autumn evening? Or perhaps, the most important question of all:

Why was she stalking me earlier?

But I didn't ask any of those questions, despite my brain screaming at me over and over to gain any semblance of information.

I didn't because I know how annoying she was. I also knew that just like last time, she could fill my head with stupid thoughts that could lead me to do some irrational things. Sure, the combination of her telling me some harsh facts about Yukinoshtia (No matter how false they were), and the stress that I was feeling at the time ultimately caused me to act stupidly.

That still didn't change the fact that I want nothing to do with her. In fact, if I could pick a time where I'll be whisked back to my own dimension, it would be now. But alas, miracles don't occur on a day-to-day basis.

"Hikigaya-kun," Haruno said cheekily, her face bearing a small yet sly grin, "Aren't you going to ask what I'm doing here?"

I looked at her impassively, "Yukinoshita-san. Whether or not I ask you, it still won't change your purpose in coming here, right?"

Haruno widened her eyes at my response. Normally, I would think that she was amazed at how courteous or tactful I was being, but this was Haruno after all; a relatively inviting book that can't simply be read.

"Pfff," She tried to hold back her oncoming laughter. She was actively mocking me, but I tried my best to not show my discomfort, " _Yukinoshita-san_? You make me sound like my mother."

I didn't reply as she laughed at me.

"I see. My apologies," I told her apathetically before continuing my task at hand, "See ya."

Before I could walk up the stairs, Haruno immediately snuck up behind me and gently tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned to her, she expertly and sneakily maneuvered her ways so that she was effectively blocking the stairs.

"Come on now, Hikigaya-kun," Her sweet voice called out, "You really don't want to know why I'm here?"

If I didn't answer her, she would just keep blocking my way. If I did, she would probably spin it into something malicious or annoying. Either way, I'll lose.

"To pick up Yukinoshita?" I asked, throwing caution to the wind.

Her eyes widened again before her mouth broke into a grin.

"Bingo! My, Hikigaya-kun, you're such a smart boy!"

"Right…" I shifted myself to the right side of the staircase, just in case she lets her guard down long enough for me to run past her, "Then why don't you go to her now? Yukinoshita's in the committee room."

"Ah, but there's the problem, my dear Hikigaya-kun," replied Haruno, "I mean, I'm an alumni and all, but even I don't remember the school like the back of my hand, y'know?"

Haruno moved closer to me; uncomfortably close, might I add, forcing me to take a wary step back.

"So wouldn't it be nice to have someone accompany me to where Yukino-chan is?"

"Ah, is that so? That would really be nice, wouldn't it?" I tried in vain to make my voice as naïve as possible, "If you excuse me, I'll be on my way."

But just like last time, she blocked me.

"I'm talking about you."

"I'm busy," I replied bluntly, "If you'd want, just go straight behind me and turn right. I'm sure you'll notice the room with the most students in it."

"But that's boriiiiiiiiing," Haruno said, her face scrunched up in annoyance, "You know what? I'm just gonna tag along with you for now."

"Why?" I narrowed my eyes. Being alone with Haruno last time didn't exactly bring about any good results for me.

"Come on. You know Yukino-chan is not gonna finish up her work right now, so the second best thing is to just go with you on your little escapade."

"I'm just being used for odd jobs. This isn't an escapade."

"Well, I'm here and all, so I declare it to be an escapade!"

"Whatever…"

I didn't try to dissuade Haruno from following me. Part of the reason was that I didn't want to waste any more energy; the boxes were energy consuming enough as they were.

And so she followed me up the stairs – or rather, I followed her, because somehow, Haruno inexplicably took the lead. Didn't she just say she doesn't know the school as well as before? Then why was she leading me? Furthermore, I didn't tell her where I was going to go yet she smoothly took the lead away from me.

What was going on here?

I trailed silently behind the enigmatic Haruno, who walked up the stairs ever so methodically and daintily with her hands clasped behind her back like an innocent maiden. Was she being considerate about the fact that I was carrying a bunch of heavy boxes? Or perhaps, she was trying to torture me by making me carry the boxes even longer?

All those questions vanished when Haruno spoke up.

"Ne, Hikigaya-kun."

"What?"

"A little birdie told me that you said some rather mean things to Yukino-chan."

"Is that so?"

She was playing dumb. Why would she try to soften the blow by trying to imply that I might have not said those things to Yukinoshita? In fact, Yukinoshita herself probably told Haruno.

"Come on now, Hikigaya-kun," She stopped on the middle of the staircase, leaning on against one side of the guardrail, "That's not very nice of you, is it?"

"I know it isn't nice."

"Yet you said those things to Yukino-chan."

"I did."

The air got a bit more suffocating. Not that I didn't expect this; after all, two people chatting on a staircase in the evening didn't exactly seem like a casual activity. Not to mention, climbing the stairs these heavy boxes weren't helping my breathing either.

"And why, exactly? You know Yukino-chan is a very naïve, fragile girl."

I narrowed my eyes. Naïve? Fragile? That was the exact opposite of what she told me during the summer festival? What was going on here? Was she actively trying to sabotage the relationship between me and Yukinoshita?

Or maybe, this was some sort of game to her?

Without commenting on the obvious discrepancy between the information she gave me, I replied as obliviously as I could.

"Because I was annoyed at her."

Haruno pouted, "That's it? Surely, being annoyed at someone won't cause you to insult that person, no?"

"Well then, I guess there's a first time for everything," I replied, deciding to move past her instead of being stuck here all evening.

Haruno didn't try to block me as I climbed the stairs. In fact, she even made way for me. I would've thanked her, but this was Haruno after all. And being teased and stopped was the last thing I want this evening.

As I walked up the stairs, that eerie quietness came back. The sounds of our shoes hitting the tiles echoed throughout the small stairwell. And despite having Haruno with me, I still felt a strange sense of foreboding, like something bad was going to happen.

Fortunately for me, we finally climbed the last set of stairs and was met with the storage room. Unlike the other areas in the school, this place didn't have as much illumination. As a matter of fact, the only source of light came from the window.

But it was enough for me to see where I needed to go. Luckily, the door to the storage room was unlocked – no doubt, thanks to some lazy students – and I quickly but carefully dropped off the boxes. My arms cried out in relief as I shook and stretched them after being rid of torture.

"Ne, Hikigaya-kun," Haruno asked, "Do you think the rooftop's unlocked?"

Looking at her in confusion, I replied, "Uh, no? I don't think students are allowed there."

"Eh, is that so?" Haruno responded, but it was clear that she was more focused on the door leading to the rooftop. Hell, she even lowered herself just so she can inspect the doorknob.

"Hmm, if I'm not mistaken…"

Haruno gripped the doorknob and jerked it in some weird directions. I almost wanted to tell her to stop but before I could, a click was sounded, and Haruno pushed the door open, allowing the cool autumn air to hit both our bodies.

"Hah, I guess they've never fixed this little problem," Haruno snickered, "Well, wanna hang out for a while? The weather's really nice, y'know."

"I would, but I'd rather not. I want to get home early today."

"I see."

That was it? That was her response? And was she just going stand there by the door? I thought she was going to enjoy the experience of being a student on the rooftop again.

"Uh, bye then."

I turned around and began walking down the stairs. Not even two seconds after I began my descent, Haruno called out to me.

"Hikigaya-kun."

"What?"

Still standing by the doorframe, like some sort of supervillain, Haruno asked.

"What is Yukino-chan to you?"

Almost immediately, I responded, "An acquaintance at worst, a club mate at best."

"Oh wow," I could see her snickering behind all that dim lighting, "Yukino-chan would be hurt, y'know. She considers you as an actual friend."

"If she wants to keep that delusion going, then I'm not going to stop her."

"Really now? Then why did you apologize if you didn't want to be her friends?"

She must've heard my 'apology' to Yukinoshita from the girl herself. Damn it, why can't she just keep quiet about anything?

"I don't know what Yukinoshita told you, but I only did so to get rid of any malicious feelings we might have for each other in the future."

"In other words, you want to be her friend."

"No. In other words, I want us to be acquaintances." I retorted.

"That's kinda inconsiderate of you," Haruno stated, "Because, like I said, Yukino-chan actually considers you as a true friend, despite all the bad things you've said to her face."

I almost wanted to bring up all the things that Haruno told me about Yukinoshita during the summer festival, but held back. It wouldn't do me any good, and it would just waste my time anyway.

"And like I said, I don't care if she wants to keep thinking like that. As long as it doesn't affect me, then I don't really mind."

"Hmmm, really now?"

"If that's all you want to talk about, then goodbye."

Once again, I walked further down the stairs. As I reached the base of one staircase, Haruno called out to me again.

"Oh and Hikigaya-kun?" Her chirpy voice rang throughout the stairwell, creating an off-putting echoing effect, "There's one thing I'd like to tell you."

Even with the light of the setting sun shining behind her, I still couldn't see what her face looked like. Must've been due to the fact that we were at very different levels of elevation. The aforementioned light created this weird shadowy effect on her face, which was further accentuated by her bangs.

But despite not being able to confidently say what her face looked like, I did, however, notice the obvious change in her voice.

And it was startling.

"Hikigaya-kun," Haruno said, her voice no longer containing that iconic jovialness that Haruno normally possesses.

"W-What is it?" I stuttered, possibly due to this intimidating aura that her voice gave off.

Cold and slowly, she told me what she wanted to say, emphasizing each and every words so I could understand what she meant.

"Stay away from Yukino-chan."

I unconsciously swallowed a lump in my throat at her warning – or was it a threat? Either way, I couldn't really comment on it. She went radio silent after that one sentence, still opting to stand by the doorway. Her eyes were covered by the shadows of her bangs and her posture was strangely relaxed.

Noticing that I was staring at her for too long, I mentally berated myself and managed to squeeze out a reply.

"Uh, right. I'll try not to get involved with her."

"Hn," Haruno gave a light chuckle, "Good."

Without bidding her farewell, I simply walked down the stairs and towards the committee room. Along the way, I stopped by the bathroom and washed my face. And as I looked at the bathroom mirror, I had to double check if I'd heard what Haruno said correctly.

She warned me to stay away from Yukinoshita, as if the latter was a manipulative and conniving girl. Yet earlier, Haruno basically said that Yukinoshita was a pure, innocent girl. This inconsistency was really messing up my brain, and the ever darkening sky wasn't helping much either.

 _Maybe I should've accepted Yuigahama's help._

* * *

 **References:**

 **[1]: Is that a JoJo reference!? Yes. Yes it is.**

 **[2]: Reference to the Amygdala boss in Bloodborne.**

 **Author's** **notes:** **Jesus Christ, I'm rusty. I'm probably rustier than a metal chain left out in the rain for a week at this point. Hopefully, this summer break is enough for me to get some more chapters out. Like always, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I don't know, leave a review/favorite/follow or something, I suppose. It energizes me.**


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